Wonderland
by stellahr
Summary: When a monocled mage accidentally transports Natsu and Lucy to a strange new world called Wonderland, they must journey to the castle in order to get back home. Will they be able to make it back before getting caught up in a war? Alice in Wonderland inspired AU. (NaLu)
1. Prologue

Prologue

"Come at me you stupid birds!"

"They're chickens, Natsu!"

"Eh? Aren't these pigeons?"

"How can you not know the difference between a pigeon and a chicken Natsu?!"

Lucy rolled her eyes as Natsu and Happy bickered about what kind of bird they were fighting. For the record, Happy was right, but it didn't really matter. The birds weren't real anyways. The multitude of chicken mutations pecked at every centimeter of exposed skin they saw. She held her arms over her face as they clucked and dug their beaks into her flesh, hissing as her arms began to bleed.

"I'm tired of this!" Natsu yelled. His arms burst into flames, frying the ones nearby. They soon disappeared in a puff of smoke, but the chickens weren't deterred, and when one was dispelled, another spawned. Lucy noticed that the never ending droves of chickens flew in from a path in the forest east of them.

"Happy. Fly upwards and look out for a suspicious mage. I think he's over there." She asked. The trio was currently on a mission to capture an illusion mage that had been robbing from nearby cities. He had been spotted multiple times in this forest, but when they saw him for themselves he simply ran away.

"Aye!"

While Happy went to investigate, she summoned Taurus and his Star Dress, stretching out her whip. Natsu smirked as he lit the whip on fire, something they did often while on missions. She cracked the whip at the birds closest to them, lighting them up and instantly clearing out dozens of chickens at a time.

Happy came back with the news that he found the mage, meditating in a tree.

"Lucy, go. If I stay and fight his illusions here, he'll be too distracted to notice you." Natsu said.

Happy took Lucy and flew towards the illusionist while Taurus followed through the forest below. Once he set her down, she summoned Virgo.

"Open, Gate of the Virgin, Virgo!"

"You called, Princess?"

The illusionist hopped down from the tree, his face still scrunched up in concentration.

"Huh." He was a short man dressed in a suit, with slicked back hair and a seemingly useless monocle. He was holding a comically giant golden pocket watch. He clicked his tongue upon seeing the time and put his watch away, turning towards the fight. Without a word he summoned more of the chicken creatures, which dived at Lucy. She rapidly punched through them.

"They're weak," she thought, "but there's way too many of them."

"Virgo! Dig a hole! Taurus, get ready!" Her spirits were quick to jump into action. Ignoring the mass of chicken illusions, she cracked her whip and tied it around his ankle, forcefully knocking him down. Taurus shattered the earth with his axe, sending the man flying through the air. He cursed, summoning more chicken illusions at the mage. Lucy punched through them, his magic weakened from using it for so long. Following his trajectory, Virgo rushed to make a hole to imprison the man. He landed directly in it, all the chickens disappearing within seconds.

Lucy smiled as she said goodbye to her spirits and closed the gate. Happy dropped Natsu next to her.

"Nice, Lucy!" He high-fived her, and they went to check on the illusionist. He wasn't fully unconscious, but his hand holding the pocket watch was twitching. The second hand was ticking loudly, and once the minute passed, it chimed.

"Now we just need to turn... huh?" Lucy stopped mid sentence as a purple magic circle opened up above them. The pocket watch suddenly snapped closed, and a portal appeared above them. Happy managed to fly out of portal's radius, using his wings to fight the pull but Natsu, Lucy, and the illusionist got sucked in.

"Happy!" Natsu called out. But it was no use, the portal had closed and ejected them out on the other side. They were falling through the air. He reached out and held Lucy's hand tightly as they braced for impact on the beach below.

"Teleportation magic? Or is this some kind of Anima?" Lucy thought, panicking about the possibilities. They landed in the water without injury, but the illusionist was already swimming away! The pair swam towards the shore, while the illusionist, who's monocle was broken and was dripping wet, split himself in two and ran off in opposite directions.

"I'll take left!" Natsu shouted, running after the short mage.

"You want to split up here?"

Natsu turned back and gave her a thumbs up. "Don't worry, I'll find you!"

Lucy ran right, hoping that Natsu would make good on his promise.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note**_

 _ **Sooo yeah. I've never written a full length fanfiction before, and this idea came into my head a short while ago after rewatching the Edolas arc. Think of this fic somewhat like Edolas, but with more in depth backstories on the AU versions of Fairy Tail characters. I actually have a lot of in depth backgrounds on the AU versions of the characters since I'm such a detail oriented person. Hopefully I can keep people's interest as the story develops! I haven't finished writing, but I do have a general idea of where I want this to go. (And don't worry, not only is there NaLu, but there's also AU Nalu! :) Their relationship is a bit more romantically developed here, as this is sometime way after the end of the series. I am pretty inexperienced at writing romance though, so don't judge me too harshly T_T)**_


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

No time to waste. Lucy ran after the mage on the right, hoping that he was the real one. The beach ended pretty soon from the water, and instead faded into a forest full of snow and tall pines. She hugged herself as she ran, kind of wishing Natsu was nearby so she could warm herself up. Lucy changed back into her regular clothes, hoping to fight away the frostbite she would inevitably get if she spent too long in this cold.

"Halt!" A voice called. That voice... Natsu? Did he turn around? Lucy actually stopped, but the illusion mage didn't. He was struck by some blue magic, and fell face down in the snow. Ice bound his ankles and hands together.

"Now my Lady always tells me to be careful, but didn't I handle myself fine right then? Ha!" The voice was clearly Natsu's voice, but his words sounded foreign. He sounded so... noble?

Not-Natsu stepped out from behind a tree, adjusting his sleeves. He was wearing a dark suit, while his pink hair, a bit shorter than usual, was spiked up like normal. Instead of the Fairy Tail emblem on his shoulder, there was a golden patch, and his clothes bore an elaborate diamond pattern. The quality of his clothing was so fine, Lucy thought he might be royalty.

Not-Natsu's eyes widened when he saw Lucy. She replayed the past ten minutes in her mind. The strange pocket watch, the magic circle, the portal... of course! The pocket watch was something like Anima after all! They had ended up in another world, and so this must be this world's Natsu.

"Lady Lucy? What are you doing here, especially with this strange attire?" Natsu tilted his head. It was sort of cute, but his manner of speaking was way too strange with that voice which was typically more simple and excited.

Before she could even attempt an explanation, something large landed next to her. It was the illusionist, all tied up! She turned to where he had been tossed from and ended up looking into her own eyes.

It was herself.

It was hard not to look as the other Lucy seemed to radiate light and power. The magical energy coming off of her made the air heavy, and her beauty was astounding. Her face wasn't too different from her own, but something about her determined brown eyes was darker and unfamiliar. She would almost call it rage. The other Lucy was wearing some dark pants, boots, and a thick white winter coat, and had long waves of blonde hair flowing down her back. She had a sword sheathed at her side attached to a brown belt. The emblem on her coat was also a diamond, like the Natsu before her. She was holding on to another tied up person. Now this someone, with pink hair and scaled scarf, was someone she recognized.

Five minutes hadn't even passed yet and Natsu had gotten himself caught by the authorities, even if said authorities were herself. Well, her other self.

"Your Highness, I managed to capture the illusionist we've been looking for, as well as an impersonator of yours." She threw the tied up Natsu on the ground next to the illusionist. She smirked. "Hm."

Your Highness? So this Natsu really was nobility? A prince at that!

"Seriously? You caught me off guard! Free me so I can fight you fair and square Lucy!" Natsu yelled.

Lucy finally got Natsu's attention by waving her hands in front of herself. He smiled at her. "Lucy! Help me so I can fight you! Uh, I mean her!"

Lucy face palmed. He needed to get a clue.

"It's Lady Lucy to you! I am a royal knight and you will address me as such!" Knight Lucy snapped. Was it just her or was her other self kind of a hot head? Lucy blushed, it wasn't like she couldn't be a hot head herself. Natsu could get on her nerves sometimes. But a royal knight?

"Calm down my Lady, there are other issues at hand. Such as," Prince Natsu cleared his throat, "the twin illusionist's we've caught." He gestured toward the tied up illusionists. The one trapped by ice started to twitch until he simply "poofed" out of existence. Both Natsus and Lucys just gaped at the empty space.

"Ugh." The one caught by the Knight Lucy groaned and consequently passed out on the floor. It seemed as if he had called his double back into himself, then passed out from using too much magic.

"Don't think I've forgotten about you." The knight pointed her finger at Lucy, who held her hands up and laughed nervously.

"Me? Haha, what did I do?" Knight Lucy was too similar to an angry Erza for her taste, and the last thing she needed was to get into a fight. She wasn't even sure if she could really use magic right now. Back on Edolas, she was only able to because of that weird pill Mystogan gave her.

Before she knew it, Lucy found herself tied up. She was tossed on the ground next to Natsu and the knocked out illusionist.

"Hey!" Damn this Lucy was quick!

"Dispel your magic immediately. You are under arrest for impersonating a member of the royal family and a high-ranking knight." she commanded.

"Eh? I'm not impersonating anybody!" Natsu protested.

"I said dispel your magic or I will-"

"It's the truth!" Lucy shouted. Natsu should've been more careful. If she didn't explain herself properly now they were going to end up in a dungeon or whatever these people used to punish criminals. But Natsu wasn't Natsu if he didn't get her in trouble.

"I mean," Lucy cowered a bit under the knight's glare. Prince Natsu just stood on the side, amused. "We're not using transformation magic, or illusion magic, or anything like that. This is a total misunderstanding. I mean, we're not really from this world."

"You'll get a chance to explain yourself - at the trial!" She declared.

"What?!" Natsu and Lucy looked at each other. They soundlessly came to an agreement- they had to escape.

"Like hell I'm going to court!" Natsu boosted himself up with flames. He helped Lucy up and lit his body on fire. Although it didn't burn their restraints, it pushed the other Natsu and Lucy away.

"Stay back your Highness. It's dangerous!" She unsheathed her sword and covered herself and the prince as much as she could, but without a chest plate or shield they were in big trouble. The snow around them was quickly melting, and the flames would reach the trees soon. But Natsu had no intention to cause a forest fire, especially one this massive. He lowered the intensity of his magic and instead aimed to provide a smokescreen for an escape.

"Lucy, let's go!"

The flames covered their escape route. They had to hop away as fast as they could, and although they looked completely ridiculous all Lucy cared about was getting away. She didn't want to find out what the dungeons here were like.

They stopped behind some random tree and got to work on setting each other free. As she muttered under her breath about how reckless Natsu was, she untied his feet and hands.

"Man, I was totally hoping the rope would just burn off the first time. It would've been way cooler!" Natsu said as he freed Lucy.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "If you thought that would work, why didn't you just light it on fire when she first tied you up?" Natsu only shrugged.

"But why are your other world selves always so mean? I mean Edo-Lucy was super violent, and this Lucy was way too eager to tie me up. Did you see the look on her face?!" Natsu whined.

Lucy laughed. "Maybe these alternate worlds are trying to balance things out, because I'm too good to you."

"Yeah maybe." He grumbled.

Lucy blushed. "Well your alternate selves are always timid. You're a prince in this world, but it seems like he needs Lucy to protect him." She teased.

"Yeah yeah." Natsu waved her off.

At any rate, they couldn't keep hiding in this forest forever. The most important thing was that they find a way home. They tried to make their way through the forest quietly, but it was hard when her heavy boots crunched all over the random debris in the snow. Was it hard to believe she almost envied Natsu right now? Light sandals would be unbearable for anyone else, but just fine for the fire magic user.

"I think we should disguise ourselves. I'll change into a Star Dress, and we'll see what we can do about you."

In a flash of bright light, Lucy summoned Capricorn's Star Dress. Somehow she felt like it didn't take that much energy. Was she getting stronger? Or was it the effect of this strange world? Whatever it was, she was glad for it. The easier it was to call on a spirit for help, the better. After considering what she had to work with, she gave Natsu her sunglasses and helped him cover his hair as best as she could with his scarf. His bright pink hair stood out the most, and he could easily be mistaken for the other Natsu.

"Nice plan, but isn't your outfit kinda out of place?" Natsu snickered. Lucy looked down at herself and touched her head. Right, she forgot this dress also came with literal horns and two gigantic braids...

She shrugged. It got the job done didn't it? Honestly the real problem wasn't with the horns or anything, but with the little warmth this outfit provided. They were in a forest full of snow after all. Lucy stood a little closer to Natsu, hoping to warm herself up a bit. Thankfully, Natsu noticed and amplified his magic a little. The perks of having a fire Dragon Slayer as your partner.

She wondered how the other member of their team, Happy, was holding up. By now he must've told the guild what happened. Hopefully some of their guild mates were doing their best to figure out how to save them. Currently, Natsu and Lucy had no way home and were just wandering around without a plan.

The forest suddenly dimmed. An almost physical darkness was closing in on them slowly. "Lucy, stay close." Natsu said. She gripped his arm and watched as the darkness came closer and closer.

"Are you lost?" A voice whispered in her mind. She shrieked in surprise.

"Lucy!" Natsu's voice felt far away. One blink, and Natsu was gone. She was standing in a patch of light, surrounded by the darkness.

A smile appeared in the shadows, stretching wide. Lucy reached for her keys. If this was some kind of attack she wouldn't hesitate-

"Relax. Can't a cat catch a chat?" The voice was Happy's! But, where was he? All she could see was a smile.

Two wide eyes opened up above the smile. Happy himself appeared on a branch, high above her head. He hopped down, humming the whole way.

"I'm certain you're searching for a solution to this... situation." said the cat. His grin was unfaltering. "For starters, I can clue you in on your whereabouts."

The cat was strange, and he could potentially be dangerous. Not to mention that she was separated from her partner if things went wrong. But the cat was Happy, speaking with his voice and smiling with his smile. Her fondness for him got in the way, so she let her guard down and nodded.

"Where are we then?"

"Wonderland, of course!" The cat cackled so hard he rolled over on his back. His entire head fell off and rolled down the tree. Disgusted and kind of terrified, Lucy moved away. The head continued rolling at her with a smile plastered on its face.

"Really, we are in the Diamond forest." The disembodied head spoke. Diamond? The diamonds on her other self and Prince Natsu's clothing made sense now. And if this was Wonderland, and if it was anything like the story…

"Who's the King of Diamonds?"

"Ask your associate."

"Associate?"

"I like alliterations; it doesn't always turn out well."

Seriously? For the first time since arriving in this strange world called Wonderland she thought she would get some answers. Happy jumped down from the tree and picked his head up. He accidentally attached it backwards though, and couldn't really fix it. What a disturbing sight. Lucy shuddered.

"I want to get home to Earthland. Where should I go?" She had to be specific. Of course this Wonderland wasn't exactly like the story, but she believed that Happy was this world's version of the Cheshire Cat, a mysterious and mad cat that would tease you and leave you more confused than you were. Even so, maybe getting some directions from him was a step in the right direction.

"Frankly I don't mess with magic." Happy said.

But his tone implied something else. He was going somewhere with this, meaning that he knows more than he's letting on.

"But I'll help you if you help me." There it was. A task to complete in exchange for information. She was willing to do it, if it meant they could get home.

"Wait just a second. I'll help you on these conditions: you lead my partner back to me, and we can both use our magic. Also, nothing that involves hurting another being unnecessarily."

"Relax!" Happy laughed. "Simple retrieval. Actually something was stolen from me and I just want it back. I can't really get it myself because I am merely a cat that doesn't mess with magic." Lucy held her tongue and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. He was obviously a magic creature, even if he didn't have Happy's wings. "My knapsack! Thieves took it from the base of my home, this tree and ran into the bar. It's not like I had human money in there anyways, so it was pointless."

"The bar... is there a town nearby?"

"Yes, that way. You'll know it when you see it." His tail appeared, pointing in the direction of the town. "They might still be there, so do your best!" Happy's smile disappeared, and the darkness creeped away until the forest was lit again. It was freezing cold, and Lucy rubbed her arms.

"Lucy!" Natsu came running from some unknown direction. He brought her into his arms. She blushed, happy he couldn't see her red face. He's always been somewhat affectionate, but lately he's more into hugging and the like. She couldn't say that she hated it, the opposite really, just that it felt like they were changing, somehow. Maybe she was overthinking this.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Happy must've teleported him some distance away.

"Yeah, and now we've got a job to do."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Natsu wasn't shocked about there being another Happy, but he was annoyed that he had been teleported away and that he chose to speak to Lucy and not him. He crossed his arms in annoyance. Seriously, he was so childish sometimes. Lucy was a bit suspicious though. This Happy was pretty creepy.

"Don't worry about that. The important part is that we'll get some answers hopefully. And we can stay at an inn in town." They had checked their pockets earlier to see what they had to work with. Enough money for a big meal or one night at a hotel on Earthland, as well as Lucy's keys. Natsu joked about camping, but thinking of sleeping outside in the freezing winter forest made her long for a warm bath at home.

After some time walking, they finally came across a small town, just as Happy said. Lucy smiled at the warmer and jovial atmosphere. This town seemed just like any old quaint town in Fiore. She didn't want to dwell on the memories of home too long, otherwise she'd make herself homesick, so she kept an eye out for the place Happy mentioned as they strolled through town. The pair stopped in front of what Lucy assumed to be a bar.

A voice spoke from behind. "Are you two here for the tea party?" They turned around to see Makarov! Natsu and Lucy stared at each other with wide eyes.

"Grammph!"

"Tea party?" Lucy interrupted, slapping a hand over Natsu's mouth. She was shocked to see Makarov too, but you can't call a stranger Gramps!

"Yes, we sell the finest tea here!" He gestured to the bar and winked. Makarov was wearing a tall hat and buttoned white shirt. His mustache was even longer than the Master's, although he was still the same height.

Lucy smiled apologetically. "Sorry, we're looking for a ba-"

"Tea house? You've come to the right place!" He pushed both Natsu and Lucy inside with superhuman strength and shut the door behind them. He frantically checked the windows for something then turned to scold them.

"Damn kids! You can't say the b-word out there!"

"Bar?" Natsu asked.

"We're not really from around here..."

Makarov sighed. "Fine." He led them further into the tea house, which was actually empty, and past some curtains. The quiet tea house became a noisy bar, full of shouting men and laughing women. Finally, something she was used to. The two took a seat at the bar.

"The Knight Erza, also known as Lady Titania, is the one watching over this town. She cares about the kingdom's people and she's very strong... but also happens to dislike alcohol. It's not out rightly prohibited but if she's patrolling the streets and spots you drinking..." Makarov gulped, not bothering to explain further. Natsu and Lucy got the picture, remembering their own Erza back home and Edolas' Erza Knightwalker.

"Is every town being watched by knights?" Natsu asked.

Makarov nodded solemnly. "Yes, every member of the Fairy Tail Court save for the Golden Knight is watching over a certain area of the kingdom. It's been pretty tense around here lately, especially with the recent rumors." The Golden Knight? That must be her other self, Lucy thought. She twirled a lock of her hair between her fingers, admiring its color. She was clearly high ranking, but...

"The Fairy Tail Court?" What exactly was this group that bore their precious guild's name?

"The kingdom's top ten knights, with the Golden Knight Lucy being number one. Erza is second in command. That's why I am grateful to have her here but," Makarov gave up his serious demeanor and yelled, "I love drinking!"

"Yeah!" The bar cheered at his proclamation, raising their drinks to the ceiling. Natsu and Lucy exchanged a nervous glance.

"If it's Erza..."

"Then it can't be helped."

Makarov left them alone to chat with some patrons who just walked in. "Spot anything?" She asked.

"No but," Natsu sniffed the air, "I think there may be some people here we know." He got up from his seat and led them around the bar. Lucy held on to him by his sleeve. This place was bigger and more crowded than it seemed at first glance, and she didn't want to be separated again. That's what she told herself as he reached for her hand.

In the corner was a mysterious woman at a table, covered in a long purple-blue shawl and glittering jewelry. Only her lower face and hands could be seen, with curled, dark locks of hair peeking out under the shawl. She smiled mischievously. Her long nails tapped a simple rhythm on the table, and from her left hand she produced a pack of cards. She placed the stack face down.

"Questions about the future, or maybe the past? Curiosity brought you here, or maybe fate. The cards have all the answers." Her speech was slightly slurred and slow.

Ah. A fortune teller. Lucy looked at Natsu for his thoughts, and he shrugged. So they both sat down in front of her as she shuffled her cards.

"What would you like to know?"

What wouldn't she like to know? First of all, she wanted a way home, but she was also curious about this world. What was with the rumors? Who was the King of Diamonds? The Queen of Hearts? The other suits? Where were the rest of the Fairy Tail members? As these thoughts swirled around in her head, Natsu answered for them.

"Well, we're kind of stuck. We don't know what to do." He said.

The sounds of the bar faded into the background. The chime of a bell sounded in unison with the fortune teller's eyes glowing white behind the cloth. A third spot glowed even brighter above her eyes. She placed three cards down, then turned one face up.

"The Lovers." Natsu shifted in his seat. "Choices, sacrifices. These might be one and the same, but it's not all bad. Inner turmoil over your relationships was dealt with through reflection. Before you acted, you considered everything thoroughly. Now things are changing. For better or for worse," she chuckled, "that's up to you."

She flipped the next card over. Lucy grimaced at the name of the card. "The Hanged Man. Just as before, you've arrived at a crossroads again, outside of your field of influence. This difficult position may seem hopeless, but if you're careful you will prevail. You need a fresh perspective. Once you learn to 'go with the flow' and relinquish your desire for control of the situation, you will overcome this challenge."

Her eyes dimmed slightly as she turned over the third and final card. "Justice. Finally, all the decisions you've made intersect at this point. Will you remain true to yourself, and fight for what is right? Or selfishly seek to save your own skin? Once you make this important decision, justice will be served."

Regardless of their choice, justice will be served? Or was she saying that the choice they will inevitably make lead to justice? These cards... they were describing the past, present, and future weren't they?

Lucy stared into the Hanged Man's eyes, unnervingly realistic. It's true that she was becoming increasingly frustrated with this situation. They had no idea what they were doing, and she just wanted to find a way back home. If she relaxed and "went with the flow" instead, she was apparently going to find some answers. But what did that mean, exactly? Should they aimlessly walk around hoping to literally bump into a way home?

The sounds of the bar slowly came back. Her eyes returned to normal as she reorganized her cards.

"Thank you, Cana." Natsu said. Cana, huh? The fortune teller gave them a thumbs up and a smile as they stood up to leave. Maybe she knew their identity through her divination? Due to her slurred speech and magic cards, she thought that maybe this Cana wasn't too different to their own Cana Alberona back home.

Natsu sniffed the air again. "I also thought..."

"Ha! Stealing backpacks now, Macao?" Lucy turned to see Macao and Wakaba at a table, drinking and poking at a green knapsack.

"Shut up! This'll teach that cat to mess with me." Macao laughed.

Although they were trying to be inconspicuous, Natsu's protective nature and love for Happy launched him forward. He slammed his fist on the table, shocking Macao and Wakaba who were snickering about stealing the bag. His sunglasses fell off as he rushed forward.

"Bastard! That bag doesn't belong to you!"

Before Lucy could call out to him and tell him to calm down, his palm lit up in flames. Some of the customers nearby gasped, others whispered among themselves. Worst of all, his scarf came loose, collapsing at his neck and exposing his spiky pink hair. To a drunk's eyes, it seemed as if the Prince was right before them. The shock didn't last long before Natsu amped up the heat of his flames. Macao glowered at Natsu, sweat already starting to bead on his forehead, and pulled out a long blade.

"Who the f- hey, he's the one on the poster! That girl too!" He shouted. Damn it Natsu, always getting her caught up in his fights! Wakaba and the rest of their entourage pulled out various weapons and began to charge up their magic.

"Natsu! Let's get out of here!"

He snatched Happy's knapsack and they pushed their way to the bar's exit, only to be met by some rough looking mages. They had no space to fight in, and unlike Natsu she didn't want to wreck the bar. She prepared herself for hand to hand combat, grateful that at least she was still wearing Capricorn's Star Dress, which enhanced her skills. She took a fighting stance, wondering how they would steal back the bag and escape.

Before any actual fighting could happen, someone slammed the door open, pushing aside everyone in the way.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"

"Crap." Natsu squeaked.

* * *

 ** _Who could it be? ;)_**


	4. Special: Tyche, the Goddess of Fortune

_**To keep up the suspense, you won't know who entered the bar to find Natsu and Lucy until next update! For now, this is a special chapter on Wonderland Cana. I'll be including special chapters on the AU main characters. Although Cana isn't directly in the action all the time like Natsu and Lucy, she's pretty important.**_

Special: Tyche, the Goddess of Fortune

Gildarts grimaced as his wife practically squeezed the life out of his hand. He endured it as he knew the pain she was in was much bigger than anything he would ever feel. Although he was sure their child would safely see the light, there were whispers in the back of his mind that his wife wouldn't make it.

After a long struggle, their daughter was born.

"Cana. Name her Cana." His wife whispered. She was quiet after, taking deep, labored breaths. She gently held her husband's cheek.

"I love you. Please protect her."

Gildarts held her hand. "I will."

Cana's mother stopped breathing.

Alone in the small cottage with no one but his baby daughter to hear him, Gildarts wept. He wept for the death of the love of his life, and he wept for the inevitable pain his daughter would know. For now, he would hide her away to make sure _no one_ took her away from him.

* * *

 _7 years later_

Cana was used to being alone. She was forbidden from leaving their home, and she had to stay in the basement if there were guests over. Luckily, her father brought her books from the mainland. He travelled between the Kingdom of Hearts and Galuna often, since he started a new life as a fish merchant. When she was younger, he told her stories of the adventures he had as a bounty hunter that sailed the ocean far and wide on the hunt for runaway magicians. He stopped telling her those stories a while ago, when the visions started coming more frequently. She had the sense that he was scared of what she had become.

At dinner she would suddenly black out, and without control over her own voice she'd speak of ominous prophecies for people she didn't know and places she'd never seen. He would kiss her forehead and put her to bed, shushing her.

She had magic coursing through her veins, but no way to control it. She fantasized about leaving her home behind and exploring the world for a teacher that could train her. Cana wanted a life in which Gildarts didn't keep her locked inside. She was beginning to feel like this cottage was really cramped.

The visions were coming more often lately. She often felt like she was being taken over. Her body would become tense, and suddenly she'd speak in a language she didn't know, or some strange premonition would wash over her before telling the future.

Tonight she sleepwalked. It was the first time something other than her voice was controlled, but this only spelled danger for her as it meant her magic was becoming stronger. Cana was vaguely aware of what was happening, but could not find the strength to stop it. Cana turned the handle and left her house.

Galuna was a small island, mostly just jungle. The port town was located on the coast, since their main export was fish and tropical fruits. It was also anti-magic. You might think it's strange, considering that the mainland Kingdom was a place full of it. But it was banned on the island, as the native islanders had a grudge against the magicians who colonized their home. Gildarts, her father, was like that too. Until he met Cornelia. She was a travelling fortune teller, who happened to convince her father to get a reading at a bar he went into with some friends.

They fell in love, and he was as blinded by the beauty of Cornelia as he was the beauty of magic. With this change of heart they married on the mainland and became Gildarts and Cornelia Tyche. After settling down at Galuna, Gildarts' home, Cornelia stopped practicing magic for fear of persecution. But she could not sever her connection to the universe. She became sick from repressing her magic, and when she finally gave birth to Cana, her body could not handle it anymore. Thus, Cana inherited an uncontrollable magic, cursed with a third eye and haunting flashes of the future.

Cana marveled at the size of the town. Any traveller would call it small, but it was so much bigger than the two room cottage she and her father lived in! She wished she could stop herself and admire it. She walked into the town square. People were whispering and pointing at her as she stood up on a platform.

"Heed my warning, or you will all die." Her words were not her own. She tried to cover her mouth, but found that she could not move her body.

"Three nights will pass. On these three nights, the moon will be full, and you will collect its moonlight." What was she saying? A crowd began to gather.

"To collect the light, you shall conduct a spell-"

"A spell? She's a witch!" Someone shouted. Some people gasped. Others yelled obscenities.

"Get out of here! Stupid mage!"

Cana could not move her body, she could not stop her voice. But tears were streaming down her cheeks as she spoke and raised her arms, explaining the ritual they had to perform. Of course, they would not listen. They threw random objects at her, but she could not cover her face.

Gildarts pushed his way through the crowd and up onto the platform. He stood in front of her, shielding her from the violent words and actions. "Everyone, stop!"

"Eh? What are you doing defending a mage, Gildarts?"

Out of respect for Gildarts, people momentarily quieted down.

He sighed. "She is my daughter. I've kept her hidden from everyone because I was scared that you all would hurt her."

Galuna's chief, an older man, stepped forward. "I am sorry Gildarts. She may be your daughter, but we can not allow witches on this island."

"Please Chief Moka! She is only seven years old!" He pleaded. The chief only shook his head.

"It is forbidden." Two of the chief's sons picked Cana up, pushing past the crowd. Her father's face became unrecognizable in the sea of villagers. They forced her onto a small, one person boat.

"You are hereby exiled from this island." Chief Moka declared. "If you attempt to return, you will be struck down on sight."

"No!"

Cana cried out for her father, but he could not catch up to her. The crowd that had formed was too thick, and even though he pushed everyone away, the boat was far away before he reached the shore. The last she saw of Gildarts was him screaming as the chief's sons held him back. He mouthed something to her, but she could not make it out.

She curled up in a ball, sobbing under the moonlight. It would take several days to sail to the mainland kingdom from Galuna, and she had never been on a boat before. She considered herself a goner. Why was life so unfair? This eye took her mother and father away from her, and left her stranded in unknown waters. She didn't ask for this! She didn't ask for the visions and the nightmares, and least of all she didn't ask for her death. Out of all the deaths she had foretold, she never could have predicted her own.

The people of Galuna had called her a witch, but she was anything but. She was just a little girl with a curse. A witch would use her power to navigate in this sea. She would use the stars or the moonlight or conjure up a map to guide her way. A real mage would know what to do. A cursed girl like her would just cry until her eyes were puffy. A few sniffles and deep breaths later, she stopped her crying.

Come on eye, Cana thought. Open! If only this eye would open, then maybe she could use her powers for good. She pleaded for the universe to bend to her will and show her the way.

"Old friend." A deep voice boomed in her mind. Cana flinched, but listened. "You can not control the stars. Listen to them instead."

Listen to them… Cana rubbed away a stray tear and closed her eyes. She slowed her breathing and counted the beats of her heart. She focused on the waves, gently rocking the boat back and forth.

Breath in...out…and in again…

She effortlessly opened all three eyes and found herself not in the ocean, but on the surface of a planet's rings. There were colors surrounding her that could not even be seen by a regular human's eye, and hundreds of floating particles of stardust. Oddly shaped spirits drifted in and out of view. Her head pounded as she saw the true nature of the universe, and closed her third eye.

Cana exhaled. Thank goodness. The vision was beautiful, but too much for her to handle. She walked on the planet's striped rings, listening to all the different voices that called out to her. The deep voice from earlier had told her to listen to the stars, but the jumbled murmuring was confusing, and she couldn't make out anything in particular.

Continuing on the path, she noticed a constellation that shone brighter than all the others. Six stars spoke in unison, and she reached out to hear their words.

"Hello."

Cana turned to see a young woman with horns and pink hair, shyly smiling at her. She knew at once that this was the physical form of Aries.

"Hello?"

"I was sent here by the Spirit King. I'm here to help you, sorry!"

"Help me how?"

Aries smiled, her physical form disappearing. Cana blinked, and she found herself back in the boat. When she looked up at the sky, the six stars from before were reflecting in the water. The golden lights lit up the way to the mainland, and Cana eagerly picked up the paddle and adjusted the boat's course.

"Thank you." She whispered. She did not know who this "Spirit King" was, or why the stars had decided to help her, but she would not forget this favor.

The stars were able to show Cana the way, but they weren't able to make food out of thin air. Cana was tired and hungry, unable to sleep as she had to fight against the currents and a small storm. With her luck, she also hadn't seen a single boat nearby, fisherman, passenger, or otherwise.

Four days from her exile the stars twinkled out of existence at sunset. Cana sat up, shocked.

She squinted, and in the distance she saw the docks in the distance, parked boats, lights, and best of all: magic! She excitedly paddled faster with all her strength. A two story fisherman's boat approached her starboard. The captain, an old man in a yellow outfit called out to her.

"Need any help?"

Cana graciously accepted, and she abandoned her tiny worn down watercraft for the fish boat. He took her to the shore and she ran into the city, delighted at the sights of the markets and people and colors and magic.

Past the dock were busy streets leading into a central market. Her stomach rumbled and she remembered just how hungry she was. Without any money, she would have to beg for something to eat, and she wasn't the only kid eyeing the fruit stands. She moved away from the bustling market full of beggars and onto a side street.

Maybe the mainland wasn't so glamorous after all. Even though she had read about the Kingdom of Heart's glory and the royal family's so called Golden Palace, she was not prepared to see the peasant women splitting a singular loaf of bread into bite sized pieces for their seven children. Or the orphan kids who approached her, asking for money and disappointed to find she was just like them. She was sure that not everyone lived like this, but the fact that there were people who did was an injustice.

Cana sat down in the narrow street next to a parked horse and empty cart. She clutched her stomach and willed it to quiet down, hoping that a vision wouldn't come any time soon.

A drunk woman stumbled out the door of the shop she sat in front of. She was a middle aged woman with her head covered in a colorful blue and purple scarf. Leaning against the cart holding an empty bottle, she giggled, then turned to Cana.

"Oh, it's you! I forgot this was today." The woman slurred.

"Me?" Cana pointed to herself in shock. What could this woman, who she had never seen before in her life, have to do with her?

"Me?" She mocked in a high pitch tone. "Yes, you! Come in." She entered the shop again, leaving the door wide open. Cana didn't think it wise to follow a drunk woman into an unknown place, but she was hungry, and she could never return home. At this point, she had nothing to lose.

She peered into the open doorway, finding a quaint shop with messy stacks of books, papers, and a curtain in the back. A large fireplace roared on the left wall. The warmth coaxed Cana further inside, and a bell chimed as she passed the door. She approached the fire and vaguely noticed the door closing on its own behind her. The woman was nowhere to be seen.

The weird sensation Cana had when she was connected to the universe was present in this room. She swore that she could hear the stars again, louder and clearer than ever. She felt the room growing darker. This was horribly unfortunate timing to have a vision.

 _A silhouette in golden armor stood side by side with three other figures. Two were identical, one seemed to be a man. A blinding light grew from their center, until her vision was dominated by it._

Cana opened her eyes again, grateful for the short vision.

"Ooh, what'd you see?" Eyes wide, Cana turned in shock to see the drunk woman standing behind her with her hands on her hips. She didn't seemed scared at all by Cana's short black out.

"Close your mouth, you'll catch flies." She teased as Cana gaped at her. She stammered, searching for an explanation.

The woman hiccuped. She gestured for Cana to sit, then sat down across from her. They sat in silence for a moment, and the woman stopped smiling. Seriously she said, "My name is Ursula. Ursula Alberona." Alberona…. Her mother's maiden name!

She removed her scarf, letting her long brown hair flow free. Her uncovered forehead revealed her own third eye, dormant but definitely present. "Cornelia was my sister."

Cana laughed. This must be some dream, she was still on the boat having a fantasy about finding lost family after the trauma of losing her father… "This is some crazy coincidence."

Ursula laughed too, her rosy cheeks glowing brighter. She was crying. "This is no coincidence. I saw this day coming about seven or maybe eight years ago, although back then it obviously didn't make sense to me. My sister ran away to marry some guy she met, and had cut off all contact with me. Until she sent me a letter."

Ursula stood up and scavenged through the messy papers on the desk. She threw some aside, declaring them to be unimportant and handed Cana said letter. Cana recognized her mother's handwriting from notes and letters her father had hidden away.

She gulped. Carefully opening the letter, her eyes scanned the page.

 _Dear Ursula,_

 _I am so sorry for not contacting you at all these past few years. Life has been more difficult than expected. I fell in love with a bounty hunter of all people, and I moved to his island home called Galuna. It's a beautiful place, but it's a shame. You could never visit. They hate mages like you and I, and so I've stopped actively practicing magic for the sake of love. You know just as well as I that it's impossible to drown out the voices of the cosmos, but with this letter I am sending you my cards and some astronomical and astrological reference books. I can not risk being found with magic items, or my husband and I will be ostracized- or worse._

 _I am having a baby daughter. I am naming her Cana. I would love for her to meet you someday, although I am afraid for her that I will not be there when that happens. I cannot take this any longer, Ursula. My body is growing weak from my repression of my magic, so strongly bound to the stars. At this point, even if I meditate in hiding it won't have any effect. The damage has been done. The voices are getting stranger, and the colors are duller. My eye won't open at all._

 _This letter is both a greeting and a farewell. I love you, my sister Ursula Alberona. I hope you will forgive me for not writing you sooner, but now my days are numbered. Please seek out my little Cana and help her with her magic._

 _Love, Cornelia Tyche_

Cana covered her mouth, holding back a sob. She looked up at Ursula, staring at her sincerely. This really was her aunt… Although she had never met her own mother, she recognized the same brown eyes and dark hair she saw every time she looked into a mirror.

Ursula handed her a wooden box. Opening it, she found a pack of tarot cards. Just looking at them she could already feel the magic rolling off of them.

"That box wouldn't open for me," Ursula explained. "Your mother meant them for you."

"But I don't know how to use these." Cana closed the box, doing her best to drown out the voices calling to her from them.

Ursula winked. "I'll teach you."

* * *

 _3 Years Later_

"C'mon girl! You've gotten good at reading them, but not so much fighting with them!"

Cana panted and drew another card from the deck. The one she had in mind somehow always found itself at the top. Two of Swords. She had stuck to summoning minor arcana cards, the majors took magical energy she didn't quite have. A blindfolded woman in a white dress appeared before her, dual wielding swords.

Soundlessly, the woman lunged at Ursula, who was holding a sword of her own. Although she shared Cornelia's same psychic powers, she was never interested in fighting with the cards. She said she'd rather depend on her strength than her magic.

The card's manifestation blocked Ursula's strike, pushing back with an even greater force. Ursula ground her teeth and dug her feet into the ground, planting herself in place. The card jumped back and prepared another attack. Ursula sidestepped and quickly stabbed the card in the side before she could turn. The woman disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Cana whined.

"Don't worry, you're getting stronger. One of these days you'll summon a major." Ursula patted Cana's head (despite her complaints, Cana secretly liked it) and passed her a cup of water.

Cana had quickly learned to read the cards. Through meditation, she became in tune with the universe to the point where it didn't sound like gibberish anymore. The cards became a great tool to understand the visions, which stopped coming randomly and instead started coming at will. About a year ago, Ursula thought she was ready to learn to fight with them too. Cornelia had been a prodigy; a natural born fighter. "Basically a show-off." Ursula said.

She often dreamt about the vision from her first day in Crocus. A silhouette in golden armor, side by side with three others. She figured that they were summoning something, but whenever she consulted the cards, she never got a clear answer. Ursula told her that it was something too far in the future for her to understand just yet.

Ursula sat Cana down at the shop's cluttered table. Cana organized the cards as Ursula nervously played with her hair.

"What is it?"

"Do a reading right now for yourself."

Confused, Cana shuffled the cards. "Past, present, and future?"

Ursula shook her head. "3 cards, yes. But think of it more like asking for guidance for coming challenges."

Cana took a deep breath. Opening her third eye and tuning in to the voices of the universe, she placed her first card down. The King of Cups. A figure of authority with wisdom to spare- in short, a teacher. Cana assumed this must be referring to Ursula.

She drew the second card. Cana gasped upon seeing the Empress' face. Usually this card was positive and typically described a maternal figure or nature, but in this spread the queen was a challenge. Her unblinking dark eyes stared into Cana's, sending shivers down her spine. Her scepter was not just a show of wealth, but a show of power.

The third card was meant to be an answer. However the Empress challenged her, this card would be her guide. The third and final card was the Knight of Pentacles. The knight was kind, patient, dependable, and strong. Although, drawing this card was confusing. Cana pursed her lips in thought. This card might mean that she was the one who possessed these traits, or that some other person might and they would guide her. It could also be that she must continue her habits, like training and meditating to defeat whatever challenge the Empress brings.

The knight is looking off to the side, sitting on a horse posed in front of a golden sunset… Her mind flashed back to the golden armor from her vision. Golden armor, golden sunset, a golden knight.

She was meant to find the Golden Knight! The one from her vision! But the King, her teacher Ursula would not be there? Before she could talk to Ursula about her reading, there was a knock at the door.

The older woman stood up. "Coming!"

The knocking turned to pounding. "I said I'm coming!" Ursula peered through the hole in the door. Her eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with her hands.

"Cana, you have to go. Take your cards." She whispered.

"What?" Cana couldn't understand what was going on. Who was at the door, and why was her aunt so scared?

"Just go! Please, find the river in the forest and keep walking until you reach the Kingdom of Diamonds. Oh please, I wish I had more time to explain this to you. This is actually why I had you do a reading just right now, so you would understand." Ursula stuffed the box that held the cards in a bag, along with some other random items. She pushed the bag into Cana's arms and led her to the back door of their shop and home.

Something clicked in Cana's mind. Did this have to do with the Empress' challenge?

"Ursula?"

"Hey, we're coming in if you don't open the door!" A male voice boomed.

Ursula hugged Cana, a few tears escaping her tightly shut eyes. "I love you, my niece. These past three years have been some of the best in my life. I've been getting these visions for a while, about today. I've been planning for you to leave this week. They're coming for me and you because neither of us will be affected. Our third eye allows us to see the true nature of things."

"What? They? Affected by what?"

"You'll understand soon. Just do as I say!" Ursula spoke seriously. Cana didn't realize she was trembling until Ursula put her hands on her shoulders. She was so used to seeing her drunk aunt laughing and joking with customers, slurring her words as she sung while preparing their evening tea. The mischievous glint in her eye when they fought and trained. She even smiled when teaching Cana the meanings of all the cards. Her aunt had never, ever looked so scared.

Everything that happened after seemed to be in slow motion. Cana left through the back door, her feet soundlessly hitting the floor as she sprinted down the alleyway. She looked back at the shop and her home these past few years and made eye contact with her aunt. It was uncomfortably similar to when she last saw her father, Gildarts. This time, her aunt wasn't swept away by a sea of people but restrained by a pair of men.

Ursula didn't fight back. She just continued staring as Cana ran away, clutching the bag to her heart. Reach the river in the forest, and escape to the Kingdom of Diamonds. "Just do as I say!" Her aunt had said. It was also a goodbye.

* * *

Once Cana was far away from the city, there was a strange pulse of magic coming from the castle. She stopped running for a moment, before shaking her head and pushing on. Although whatever just happened had no effect on her, it was clearly a strong magical spell meant to cover a large area. She just kept running, not dwelling on what happened.

* * *

At sunset, she reached the forest. Exhausted, she slumped against a tree and tried to catch her breath. Ten year olds only had so much energy.

"Hey there."

She yelped at the sudden greeting. She looked for the source and found a flying blue cat floating above her. The cat landed in front of her.

"Relax. Can't a cat catch a chat?"

"Who the heck are you?" She had no time for shenanigans with random forest creatures. She had to find the river.

"Me? I'm Happy! Happy as can be!"

"I said who, not how."

The cat waved her off. "I can help you find what you're looking for."

She perked up at the offer. "Yeah? I need to find the river that leads to Kingdom of Diamonds."

"Just follow me."

Cana reluctantly followed the blue cat through the forest. Cana Tyche didn't have the best luck. Even so, as long as she had her cards, her aunt, father, and mother were right behind her. She had left behind a life on Galuna, and she could leave behind the Hearts too if she tried. For the rest of the trip, she only faced forward to the Kingdom of Diamonds. Somewhere out there was her third and lonely life.

"You have me, you know!" The cat spoke up. Cana rolled her eyes. Alright, maybe this life wouldn't be so lonely. It would be annoying.

Cana laughed at Happy's glare.


	5. Chapter 4

It was the Knight Erza, in all her raging glory. She had the same fiery red hair, but cut short above her shoulders and tied up in a half-ponytail. Her armor was silver and had the kingdom's diamond emblem on the chest. She was also wearing a headpiece and choker which resembled Erza Scarlet's Titania armor. With her furrowed brow and lethal glare, she was all too similar to the Earthland Erza.

"L-L-Lady Titania! We've found criminals!" With trembling fingers, Wakaba pointed at the pair frozen in front of her.

Erza stared down at them. "So the copycat wizards are here. I'll take them with me and inform the others." She tied Natsu and Lucy's wrists. It seemed as if their arrest was inevitable, and they couldn't take her on in here.

"Hey! What about our pay?" Macao shouted.

"Quiet bounty hunter. You didn't defeat them yourself, nor did you turn them in properly to a knight. I came to investigate because of the commotion." Her eyes narrowed at Macao. "I'm letting you off easy this time. Don't demand things you have no right to."

"Aye!" Macao saluted.

Once again Lucy and Natsu found themselves side by side, tied by the wrists. At least she could be grateful for being allowed to walk on her own instead of tossed on the ground like a bag. She looked at Natsu, who she knew was already planning their escape.

"One," she mouthed. Natsu nodded, already understanding what she was planning. The plan would even work better this time, considering that Erza tied them both with easily burned rope. Was she not informed of Natsu's magic?

"Two."

Erza looked back at them. "You know, I almost feel the need to apologize for the theatrics. I can already tell that you are not using any form of illusion or transformation magic."

Lucy paused her countdown. Natsu looked as confused as she felt.

"Choosing not to speak? That's fair, considering it is a trial we are headed to. The truth of this arrest is that its purpose is to show the citizens that they have no reason to fear. No matter your crime or lack thereof, we are not planning to punish you harshly."

"I don't get it. Fear of what? And if we're innocent, what's the point?" Natsu asked.

Erza sighed. "I'm sure you've heard some rumors... that the Queen of Hearts is planning a major attack." Lucy gasped. The Queen of Hearts? Were the Diamonds and Hearts at war? "I won't go into details, as royal politics are complicated. But times are very, very dangerous right now. This alleged attack would be the first ever direct hit on us by her, and it is pertinent that we arrest you supposed impostors to give our citizens peace of mind. It will seem like we foiled one of her plans, which works in our favor."

"But why are we the scapegoat?" Lucy asked.

"You mages are from another world. Lucy-I mean Lady Lucy- could tell even before you said so, since your magical energy is different." She smiled at the mention of Lucy, a complete 180 from her deathly glare at the bar. "You need to get back home, don't you? We'll help you if you help us."

"Help you with what exactly?" Natsu asked, skeptical.

"The war, of course."

No. Lucy cared about humanity, and she cared about her friends especially. Even if this was another world, she felt sympathy for the Fairy Tail members here too. But even so, Natsu and her did not want to get caught up in another war again. War is costly, in money and in lives. She couldn't afford either.

Lucy looked at Natsu and mouthed, "Three," then jumped back.

A wall of flames ignited between them and Erza. She stood still in shock; the bright flame's reflection lighting her face up in an orange-pink color. She and Natsu turned and ran, hoping that Erza would back off from the fire and they would have enough time to get far enough away. What really sucked was the fact that they couldn't retrieve Happy's knapsack, and they were back at square one. Criminals on the run.

"I'm sorry Erza," Lucy thought. "But the price of war is too high to pay."

"Shi-!" A blurry shape whizzed past Natsu, causing him to lose his balance. He stumbled into Lucy, knocking them both into a tree. He helped her up, but was cut off by the shape again. The shape was actually Erza, who had transformed into a taller woman with pointy ears, pinkish skin, and translucent, glimmering wings. She had two red stripes under her eyes. She folded the wings closed and pointed a finger at Natsu.

"I didn't want to do this, but you've forced my hand. I'm taking you in for resisting arrest!" She declared. She lunged at Natsu, but he stepped out of the way.

Lucy realized that Capricorn's magic wouldn't do much. What spirit would work well here? She didn't need to beat Erza, just run away from her. Think Lucy, think...

Erza fought with only her fists, but with her appearance change also came more power and speed. She didn't even seem human. Natsu ducked and rolled out of her punches, but she finally caught him under the jaw, sending him flying upwards.

"Aries!" Lucy cried. The spirit appeared before her, already sending wool out to cushion Natsu's fall. Luckily he landed on the soft material. Now that she knew she could summon spirits for certain, she felt more confident in being able to defend herself.

"Thanks!" He smiled at her, and jumped out of the wool. It disappeared. Lucy followed as he ran deeper into the forest, away from Titania.

"Sorry!" Aries sent out a massive amount of pink wool, almost drowning Erza in the stuff. Lucy ran to where Natsu was, but she looked back to see Erza seething mad as she transitioned back into her former human appearance. Transformation magic? No... She yelped at the intensity of Erza's glare and ran faster. Aries went back to the Celestial Spirit World as Lucy changed back to her regular clothes, and she sighed in relief as the pull on her magic lessened.

"Don't think this is the end!" Erza's voice faded as they ran farther and farther away.

* * *

The pair stopped to catch their breath and leaned against a tree.

"What was up with her anyway? I know she's not our Erza, but those ears? Those wings?" said Natsu.

"I think she's a fairy."

"Eh?!"

It sounded out there, but this was Wonderland, not Earthland. This world played by different rules than their own. Enhanced physical fitness, pointy ears, glittering wings; she was straight out of a novel! Even on Earthland with it's various and strange magics didn't have such creatures like fairies or forest spirits. None she knew of anyways. Spirits had to come from other realms, like her celestial magic.

"She seems really strong. She didn't use any weapons or anything but with that kind of speed and power, she didn't need to." Lucy commented. "It's good that we ran away."

"If she's so strong, I kind of want to fight her! See how she compares to our Erza."

Lucy laughed. Of course Natsu was more likely to run into fights than away from them.

The pair leaned against the base of a tree to catch their sun was finally beginning to set, but it seemed like years had passed since they had defeated those chicken illusions on their job with Happy. As if listening to her thoughts, Natsu wondered out loud, "I wonder how Happy is holding up."

"I'm doing great friends!" Happy's voice echoed from above. He was sitting in the tree, head intact (Thank goodness, thought Lucy) and holding his knapsack. "Thanks for retrieving this for me!"

"Um, you're welcome?" Lucy said. As far as she knew, the bag had been left back at the bar. The cat hopped down and opened it.

"My fish!" He exclaimed. Natsu and Lucy gaped at the size of the fish in that tiny bag. It was at least 6 feet long! He unhinged his jaw and swallowed the fish whole, sighing deeply in content. The pair was silent.

"But actually, I have something for you!" He pulled out a paper which he unrolled to reveal a map.

"This is the map of the Kingdom of Diamonds. On the north edge you can see the forest surrounding the Kingdom of Hearts, which serves as the border between the two. We're near the capitol, Magnolia, in the woods outside of it. The small town you came from is called Hargeon."

"Magnolia!" Natsu smiled. "But why do we need to know this...?"

"Seriously? I'm telling you this to help you. You guys have been evading arrest, but what you actually need is to go to trial!"

"What?!" The pair exclaimed.

"The mage you were chasing can open portals to other worlds. Dunno how, but he's currently in the castle prison. The easiest way to get to him is simply to get arrested yourself. Then you can have him open a portal for you to get home."

Right that's... that's perfect! Cana's card made sense now. They were meant to "go with the flow" and instead of trying to escape Lucy or Erza's arrest, they were meant to go to the castle! There's just one thing that's bothering her...

"How do you know all of this?" Lucy asked.

Happy smiled mischievously. "Never mind that, I'll just say I'm not working alone. Just stay out here for tonight. Erza is probably looking for you as we speak, and it's easier for her if you stay in one place. Good luck." Happy's smile disappeared, leaving them alone.

Lucy thought about her first encounter with Happy. The only real information she got out of him was that this place was called Wonderland. He didn't even want to tell her who the King was! She glanced at Natsu, who was oddly quiet. According to the mysterious cat, her partner knew his identity.

"Uh, are you okay?" She asked. He was staring somewhere in the distance. She waved a hand in front of his face and he snapped out of his daze.

"Yeah, great. I was just thinking."

"About?"

"Well, I'm the prince, or like the Natsu here is the prince. That means that his dad is either my biological dad, or Igneel. I…"

"You're not sure who you'd rather see?" She suggested.

Natsu shrugged. "Something like that?"

"But how do you feel? Will you be okay seeing your father again?" Lucy knew herself, and she knew she would burst into tears if she could see her own dad again. Even though she spent so long hating him, after she came back home from Tenrou and found out he was gone it hurt. She remembered the pain in her heart and soul as she mourned the possibility of ever having a good relationship with him. No matter who the king may be, Igneel or his birth dad, it'll still be hard to see the prince having that healthy relationship Natsu himself never got to have.

"I'm okay." was all he said.

Lucy wasn't sure she believed him, but she didn't pressure him anymore. Instead she put a hand over his hand, and held it as they watched the stars for a while. Whatever the future may hold, they would face it together as they always did.

"Lady Titania! I found them!" Footsteps were approaching from behind. Soldiers! Natsu and Lucy jumped up, preparing to face Erza again. The forest was dark, but the soldiers held torches to light their way.

As Erza made her way over to the pair, they held their hands up in surrender. "Go with the flow." Lucy gulped. It was time to face the music.

The scarlet haired knight pointed a finger at the pair and scowled. "You're under arrest."

* * *

Natsu and Lucy were bound with proper magic cancelling handcuffs and shoved into a carriage. Natsu turned green and stuck his head out the window, groaning about how he wished they could've just walked.

Lucy sighed. She had travelled with Natsu so many times before and she knew his pain, but right now she really needed him to get her keys for her. She wanted to summon and talk to Loke to see his thoughts on all of this. Although Happy's plan was fine on paper, there were so many things that could go wrong, starting with the upcoming trial.

"Natsu, come on. Just get my keys, please."

"Eeeeeuuugggghh."

"I'll let you rest your head on my lap?" She offered. Lucy rarely offered that since she was always worried he'd puke on her shoes if she did, though Natsu claimed it helped him feel better when Wendy's Troia wasn't available.

His ears perked up at her offer. Natsu sluggishly reached behind her to grab the keys on her belt and tossed it in her lap. He happily laid down, looking less green than before. Lucy rolled her eyes but ran her hands through his hair.

She smiled as she touched her keys, which warmed in her palm. "Open, gate of the Lion, Leo!" She whispered. A dim light flashed quickly as Loke passed through the gate and appeared in the seat across from her.

"Finally. I've been waiting for you to summon me. Do you have any idea what's going on? You got yourself involved in a _war_ Lucy, and you didn't think to summon me until now?"

Lucy blushed at the scolding. "It's not that I purposefully didn't summon you. I've just been running all this time and I didn't have the chance."

Loke waved her off. "Never mind that. What did you summon me for? Need help escaping?" He lifted his palm up and smirked, showing off his magic.

"No, this is part of a plan to get home. According to… someone we met, the thief we caught is now in the castle prison, and he can open portals to other worlds. That's how we ended up here. If we get sent to prison and find him, we can use him to get us home."

"I see. But what if he doesn't help you?"

"I…" Lucy faltered. Loke raised a good point. There wasn't really a plan in place for that.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there?"

Loke sighed. He pushed up his glasses, which glinted white as he stared out the window. They were driving down a rough path through the winter forest, and Erza, just like her Earthland counterpart, only made things worse with her driving. Natsu frowned and groaned at every bump on the road.

"Lucy, listen to me. I've been doing research nonstop since after Aries came back and told us where you were. I even spoke to the Spirit King once we found out where you were. I'm not sure how much you know about the conflict between the Kingdom of Hearts and Diamonds."

She shook her head. "All I've heard were rumors."

"The Queen of Hearts has been gathering supplies and training soldiers for _fourteen years_. Since the first day she became Queen. She plans to completely take over the Kingdom of Diamonds and make it all hers. If she succeeds in killing the King of Diamonds, she's going after the other kingdoms next." Loke explained.

Lucy gasped, holding a hand to her mouth. This was bad. Like really, extra, horribly bad.

"You and Natsu have to help them, Lucy. They're strong, but without you guys I don't know if they're strong enough."

"Loke…"

"I'll be there with you, I promise. Maybe I'll get the chance to punch that Queen in the face." He chuckled darkly. "But I'm asking you to do this on behalf of the Spirit King. There is an artifact in this world that we _can not_ let fall into the wrong hands. He does have a plan to reclaim it, but he needs your help. The Diamonds _need_ to win this war."

Even the Spirit King was scared. If this artifact involved the Celestial Spirit world, they had to help. Lucy reached out for Loke's hand. She gripped it tightly and with a determined expression said, "You can count on me!"

"Thank you, Lucy." He kissed her knuckles and faded away, returning to the spirit world.

Lucy took a deep breath. She would do anything for her spirits, and if she had to fight another war, so be it.

The ride became bumpy until finally coming to a rocky stop. Natsu sat up, grateful at the lack of motion. The carriage door was opened by Erza who said, "We're in Magnolia now, but the carriage has a broken wheel. We'll have to walk from here." The pair stepped out of the carriage.

Before them was the entrance to the capital of the Kingdom of Diamonds, Magnolia.


	6. Special: Scarlet Heart

Special: Scarlet Heart

Red was the color of passion, so it was fitting that the Kingdom of Hearts was led by a rageful queen of fire. She was a cruel leader, one who made her people cower in fear when she walked by and forced them to grovel at her feet if they turned away. She was greedy for wealth, and so she stole from her own people. The citizens silently cursed her name and prayed for a savior.

But all of these things were human concerns. The life of a dryad was more simple than that. The tree spirit's sisters loved to dance with their leaves in the wind. They took to human forms and enjoyed the warm summers and fresh springs, swimming in the lake with the water nymphs. They were uninterested in humans, content to live out their lives as they were meant to be lived. They did not interact with humans, for they believed it to be dangerous.

But the spirit was curious. Too curious for her own good.

She took to the form of a scarlet haired child in a simple blue dress and set off towards the town. She could not figure out how to disguise her true form completely, so she hid her wings and ears the best she could under her hood. Her red hair was short and cut choppily.

The capital of the Kingdom of Hearts was Crocus, a bustling magic town full of flora and fauna. The spirit laughed as she twirled in the hanging gardens, grateful to be among her own kind.

She explored the marketplace. With children running around her, familiars whizzing past in the air, and a beggar at every corner she felt overwhelmed, and stuck close to a fruit stand. The spirit bumped into a blonde servant girl holding a basket of assorted greens and fruits. The fruits tumbled away, and the spirit apologized profusely as she helped the servant pick it up.

The girl looked to be about her own age, something like eight or seven years old. "Don't worry about it!" She waved the spirit's apologies off. Her smile was brilliant and blinding. The tree spirit had never talked to a human before! Her voice was like the chiming of bells, sweet and melodious.

"I, oh. Okay."

The servant giggled as she finished arranging all the produce in the basket. "Ah, I wish I could've brought Spetto or someone to help me carry this." She grunted and picked the basket up, but struggled under its weight and almost fell over.

"Where are you going?" The spirit asked.

"The castle! I'm running errands for the chef. But no one seems to care that I'm not strong enough to carry this, and that I can't even use magic to help me."

The spirit took the basket from the servant, easily holding it with one arm. The girl's eyes widened, but this only confused the spirit. She supposed humans were weaker than trees.

"Wow… but I can't ask you to carry this all the way to the castle!"

The spirit smiled. "Don't worry about it."

* * *

The servant girl introduced herself as Lucy. The spirit smiled at the beautiful and fitting name. Lucy, light. Her cheerfulness was infectious, and her laughter made the spirit feel as light as air. If all humans were like this, she could not understand why her sisters were so scared. She wished she could introduce them to Lucy and show them just how kind humans could be.

"What's your name?" Lucy asked.

The tree spirit thought. She never had any need for a name. She knew her sisters, and her sisters knew her. Names were tied to identity, but if you asked her who she was she simply would've said "a dryad." Perhaps she might say a red maple, which was her birth tree.

Lucy looked shocked when she shrugged. "Don't tell me you don't have a name! What of your parents, your family! Did they not give you one?"

A father and mother… humans are born from their fathers and mothers. Dryads are born from the trees. All she had ever known was her sisters. That was all she needed. They took care of her, taught her to dance and fly, and warned her of all the dangers in this world. They hadn't given her a name either. She had always believed her sisters knew best, as they came from trees as tall as the sky, older than Wonderland itself. The spirit was only eight years old, a mere speck in this world's timeline.

"I don't… I live with my sisters only."

Lucy tilted her head. "But they didn't give you a name?" The dryad shook her head.

Lucy held her chin in thought. "How about… Erza?"

"As my name?" She questioned.

"Yeah! You just seem like an Erza. I don't know any other Erza's so you're the only one."

Her ears twitched in delight. What a beautiful name! She had never doubted her sister's wisdom until this moment. Humans were beautiful. And their names were beautiful, and their families and parents and Lucy were beautiful.

A name, all for herself. The only Erza.

"I like it."

* * *

When she got back home, Erza kept her head low and quickly melted back into her tree. She hoped to stay in her tree for a few nights and days. If she took a physical form, she'd dance and sing and smile stupidly at the thought of the human girl she met the other day and her sisters would question her and undoubtedly ban her from ever seeing her again.

She couldn't have that. She wanted to see Lucy again. She wanted to see her friend.

One of her sisters approached her tree calling for her. Erza wouldn't be able to avoid her sisters forever, so she left her tree and greeted her.

"Sister, where were you yesterday?"

Erza had never ever lied to her sisters. But she knew that it was necessary, just this once. "I spent the day relaxing in the water."

Satisfied with her answer, her sister left. Erza let out a sigh of relief and went back to her tree, planning about how she would sneak out and see her human friend again. She smiled as she thought about her name again, considering it a gift from Lucy. It was something she had all for herself, which she didn't have to share with the other dryads.

Some time later, the same sister approached her again.

"Sister. I spoke to some of the water nymphs. Of all the ponds and streams nearby, none of them saw you. Where did you go?"

Erza stayed silent.

"Sister?"

She didn't move.

"Sister, I demand that you face me."

Erza awoke from her dormant state, changing into her human form. She faced her older sister with guilty eyes.

"I lied." She admitted. Her sister shut her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. It was the most human like Erza had ever seen her act. She didn't have to say it, she already knew her sister was disappointed in her. No one _ever_ lied among the dryads. It just wasn't necessary. They only had one firm rule- don't talk to humans- and Erza had broken it.

"Don't tell me you went into the city."

"I did."

Her sister frowned. It hurt more seeing her so disappointed than it would've to see her angry. She wished her sister would just yell at her and put an end to these guilty feelings.

"Consider yourself lucky to be alive. I know that you're young and curious. I'll keep this between us as long as you don't ever interact with those," she scowled, her voice dripping with disgust, " _humans_ again." The older dryad began to walk away, and Erza could've let it end there. But this was wrong! She didn't want to be banned from seeing the city. What about Lucy? Her friend?

With the bravery and stupidity only an eight year old could muster, she called out to her sister. "Why?"

Her sister turned, flabbergasted. She stuttered, struggling to form a coherent answer. "Why, you ask? Because those things, those monsters, have killed hundreds of us! Thousands! They're evil, and if they act nice then they're just lying to you. Do as I say, and don't speak to a human ever again!"

"And if I don't?"

"Sister, I will personally exile you from this forest. I cannot allow this to go on, you're endangering all of us!"

"The humans aren't as evil as you think they are!" Erza yelled.

Screaming dryads cut her sister's retort short. Water nymphs and other forest spirits ran by, shrieking. Her sister grabbed Erza's hand and forcefully dragged her along with them. Whatever the danger was, she didn't want to find out.

Erza shut her eyes tight as some of the spirits behind them screamed in pain. What was happening to them? She wondered about her maple tree, left behind to whatever horror was chasing them.

"Help!" One voice cut out above all the others. A voice like bells… Lucy? Sure enough, Erza's eyes widened when she saw Lucy of all people kneeling in the grass. There was blood all over her hands, and when their eyes met Lucy seemed more like a startled animal than the sweet servant girl she met before. Erza ripped her hands away from her sister, hoping to help her.

"What are you doing? That's a human, leave her!"

Ignoring her, she did her best to avoid all the other screaming dryads and extended a hand out to her.

"Erza, what are you doing here?"

"This is my home. These are my sisters." She explained. Lucy bit her lip tightly to avoid crying and leaned on Erza for support. Erza glanced behind her and gasped at the approaching fire. That's what the spirits were screaming about- they were being burned alive. She quickly realized that they would meet the same fate if they did not go any faster. Lucy was in no condition to walk.

"Lucy, I'm sorry if this startles you. But we really need to go faster."

"Huh?"

Erza wasn't very experienced in flying. She spread her wings open, noticing that Lucy nearly fainted at the sight. She was young, and her wings were small but she would be able to support Lucy if they flew low to the ground. The important thing was speed. She held Lucy with both arms, lifting her off her feet. She dashed forward, whizzing past all the other spirits but not away from the fire. More of her sisters were being swallowed by the flames, even if they tried to fly away. She blinked, letting a few tears escape her as she mourned them.

Her sisters were all dying behind her, and her home was being destroyed. She felt the approaching heat, already sweating and almost letting Lucy slip from her arms. Still, she pushed her wings to their limit and past that, hoping that she could just get far enough away to where they'd be safe.

Suddenly, an unbearable pain sprouted from her heart. Something inside of her broke and she almost tumbled to the ground. It took all her strength to fly straight again. Her tree had been destroyed, and her connection to it was severed forever.

"This is all my fault." Lucy whispered. The servant girl was sobbing, furiously wiping at her eyes to the point where they were just red. Erza herself felt like crying, with all the force she was putting herself through it was a miracle her wings didn't tear apart.

An eternity later, they arrived at a clearing by the river that served as the border between the Kingdom of Hearts and the Kingdom of Diamonds. They were far, far away from the burning chaos of Erza's home. It was just them.

She set the trembling Lucy down. When she approached her, she clutched at her dress. She sat down next to her, hoping to catch a breath. She hid her wings again.

"Take deep breaths." She advised.

Lucy inhaled. Exhaled. Inhaled. Exhale. Although she was still visibly nervous, she was able to speak after a few minutes.

"This is all my fault. I don't…"

"I doubt this is your fault."

Lucy shook her head. "It definitely is."

"How?"

"The Queen started this fire. I ran away from the castle today with the help of... people on the inside. I ran away because I was told I'd be killed if I didn't."

Lucy stared down at her bloody hands. Her knee was seemingly only scraped, but it was very likely the problem went deeper than that. Unfortunately, she believed Lucy about Queen Ur. Although her motives were unclear, she was known for striking down anything and anyone in her way. But Lucy said it herself- the Queen started this fire. It was not her fault that Queen Ur had the temper of a child.

Instead of playing the blame game with her, she helped her up and led her to the river. She washed her hands and bloody knee, and ripped some fabric off her dress to tie around the wound.

As she tied the knot, she wondered what she was going to do now. The fire had presumably destroyed most of the forest, and as for her sisters… she didn't want to think about it.

"What's your plan?" She asked her.

"Gray- I mean I was told that I should seek out King Igneel. That he would help me. If we get through the forest on the other side, we'll arrive at Magnolia."

"How will we get inside the castle?"

"I don't know. But that's all I have. I don't have anywhere else to go."

"Neither do I." Erza said.

With one girl leaning against the other, the two looked forward toward their future. Wherever the road took them, they agreed to face it together.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Natsu hopped off the carriage, grateful that they had finally stopped. If he had any less dignity, he would've bent down and kissed the ground. Although when he turned to meet Lucy's glare, he put the thought out of his mind.

Lucy jumped down a second later, and they began their trek toward the castle, with Erza keeping a watchful eye behind them. Despite their circumstances, he was interested in seeing the Magnolia in this world. Right from the entrance he could point out a few key differences. First of all, this place was more like Crocus than anything. On top of that, it was full of snow. Even though he didn't feel cold, it was somewhat hard to walk in these sandals. Glancing at Lucy's shoes, it seemed like she wasn't having a better time either. She was trying her best to hide her shivering, but he stood closer anyways. He knew she was pretty sensitive to the cold.

Fiore in general was typically a warm place, especially Magnolia. It was like an everlasting spring (except when the winter months came around) and full of greenery. More so on the outskirts like where their guild was, but even within the city there was plenty of parks, and people had the habit of keeping gardens. This place was just so _gray_. White streets, white rooftops, diamond homes. That was another thing too, the overall wealth of this place.

He was so used to Magnolia being so… average. And he loved it like that! Their Magnolia had two main attractions - their guild, and the Kardia Cathedral. Besides that, every restaurant, shop, and apartment was either run down or just alright. (Even Lucy's place had its flaws, but she loved it so he wouldn't mention it to her. On top of the fact that he loved it too.) But that didn't matter. No matter how ugly the sandwich shop was, he'd still come back for the Salamander Sub. Little things like that.

Lucy seemed to feel it too. She was smiling warmly at the sights they passed, probably remembering their Earthland counterparts. Despite all the glamour and the awe at the fact that their home could look like _this_ , nothing could compare to the real thing.

Great. He just made himself homesick.

They marched through busy streets, catching glimpses of the castle above the rooftops. He thought about the doubts he expressed to Lucy earlier about seeing Igneel. Up to this point, no one had name dropped the king, but there was no doubt in his mind it was him. Would he be human? It'd be weird if Igneel was still a dragon here. But also kind of awesome.

"What are you snickering about?" Lucy whispered.

"Your hair is messed up." He teased. After her conversation with Loke, Lucy had taken a short nap in the carriage. He had no idea how, because he was awake for the whole ride. When he thought about the ride, the whole memory was just a painful, nauseating blur.

"What?" She quickly tried to pat it down, but found that she couldn't. Her hands were tied.

"Natsu!" She hissed, and he laughed again.

"Just kidding. You're still cute."

The shock on Lucy's face was priceless. She blushed and stammered, "W-what?" But he didn't answer.

Lately he found that he enjoyed teasing Lucy like that more, just to see the look on her face. It was also kind of dangerous for him though, because he knew that there was some truth to his words in regards to how he felt.

For the past year (or years if he was being honest), their relationship had been diving into some unknown waters. He considered Lucy his best friend and partner (along with Happy!) and guildmate, but still there was something different about her. She wasn't just those things, even though that's all he would call her if asked. He cared about her like no one else, and she made him feel… confused. Butterflies in his stomach and all that romantic cheesy crap from Lucy's novels. He didn't know how to react, so he started teasing her or cracking jokes whenever a moment felt too serious.

It helped him feel more at ease, because he knew how to deal with Lucy yelling at him more than he knew how to deal with a blush and hopeful eyes.

As the streets got more crowded, the murmurs of the surrounding people became louder. He glared at people who had the nerve to even point, but it was no use. Their march had become a spectacle.

Figures. He'd stare too if there were royal lookalikes tied up and marching down his streets. But the whispering was getting out of hand, so Erza stopped them and made a quick announcement.

"Citizens, as you may have heard, mages using transformation magic invaded our kingdom. They have been caught, but their motives and affiliations are unknown. There will be a trial tomorrow morning. For now, please don't worry."

He understood it as a "mind your own business" in that formal way she spoke and he was grateful. Speaking of the trial, he needed to come up with a plan with Lucy soon. The memory of the ride was as he said, pretty foggy since he was trying not to die, but he vaguely remembered some talk of an "artifact" and Lucy agreeing to something. He figured this meant their original plan to just escape their cell and get back home with the help of the thief was off, but if so, then what were they supposed to do now?

He looked to his right and was met with an anxious Lucy biting her lip as she looked toward the crowd. Despite what Erza had said, plenty of people were still staring at them like they were mythical creatures or something. He wished he could cheer her up, but his hands were tied- literally.

Once they arrived on a less populated street, Erza cleared her throat. "Once we arrive at the palace, I will hand you off to some guards and you will be left in a holding cell overnight. The trial is tomorrow morning." He gave a sly thumbs up to Lucy, to which she gave a small nod. That was more than enough time to have Lucy summon Loke and get some answers, and hopefully make up a plan.

Before he knew it, the full palace was in sight. He couldn't help it- his jaw dropped. He snickered when he saw Lucy react the same. The palace was even bigger than the one in Crocus, and was made out of a bluish-clear material. Diamond. The beautiful palace looked so fake, but it was undoubtedly real with the way it glimmered in the sunlight, and at certain angles he had to look away because of the glare.

"Welcome back, Lady Titania." A guard greeted. His voice was a bit shaky. "Shall I alert the Lady Lucy of your arrival?" He nervously glanced at Natsu and Lucy in chains. Natsu gave a little wave, which just made the guard frown.

"Yes, and let her know that I've apprehended the impostors. I will be attending the meeting shortly."

"Of course." The guard stumbled, then ran off to wherever Knight Lucy was.

Erza scoffed behind them. She had her arms crossed. "He's new. Don't know what he acts so nervous for."

"He's scared." Lucy whispered.

Natsu nodded. Looking at this Erza, there wasn't much of a difference between her and Erza Scarlet. Although, to be honest Scarlet has become softer over the years. Yeah she could still snap at you over cake, but overall she's calmer. This Erza was super serious, and definitely strong.

Erza called over another guard to open the gates and escort them to their temporary cell. With that, they ventured into the diamond castle.

* * *

Lucy Heart paced back and forth on the sky-bridge that led to the meeting room. Of course, she should be going in already but she wasn't prepared to face the rest of the court right now. Too many things were happening at once, none of them good. News of the Queen's supposed attack had spread like wildfire throughout the palace after an overheard conversation. She scolded the knights responsible and told them to be more careful, and managed to keep the rumors within castle doors. Unfortunately, the rumors did have some truth to it. She forced the thought out of her mind, as that was what today's court meeting was about.

She couldn't help being jittery. Just recently she went to see how the prince was doing, as he went horse-riding this morning with some of the representatives who were attending tomorrow's meeting. (Her head throbbed, she hated politics sometimes. Too many meetings.) His horse, it turns out, was frightened by some animal it saw in the snow and he was thrown off. His arm was broken, mostly healed by magic but he still had to wear a sling.

"Oh look at you, my heart is about to burst." She confessed to him.

The prince just smiled at her. "I'm happy to hear I can make your heart flutter, Lucy."

She blushed, remembering his comment from earlier. He loved to tease her whenever she was worried about him. As much as she tried, she couldn't deny her feelings. It was wrong for her, as a knight- as _his_ knight- to feel this way towards him. Every time they met or shared a smile for just a bit too long, she felt guilty. They could never be together officially, because she was not of noble blood. In fact, she was nothing more than a runaway servant who had only been lucky enough that King Igneel had kindly housed her.

There were clouds on the horizon, a sign of snow. It hadn't snowed for some time now. She leaned over this bridge, looking out toward the pure white image of Magnolia. It was perfectly still, but there was tension in the air. Like the moment before you take a breath, it felt like something was about to happen.

She thought about the tension between the Kingdom of Hearts and Diamonds. It would inevitably manifest in an all-out war. Up until this point, there was nothing more than shifting eyes and rumors, and never any real battles. It kept Lucy up at night, thinking of the many ways that in the event of a battle on castle grounds, she wouldn't be able to protect Natsu like his father had asked her to do. She had made that promise to him, and Lucy Heart never broke her promises.

Recently she had… discussed this promise with Erza. She didn't want to say "argued" because she walked away before it got to that, but their conversations had been tense since then.

" _Lucy, you have to take care of yourself."_

" _What do you mean?" She played dumb. It was immature, but she didn't want to have this conversation._

" _I know that you lo-care for the Prince and his father, his Majesty, but you can't hurt yourself in the process. It is one thing to do your job, and another to sacrifice your sanity."_

 _Lucy didn't reply. She hadn't spoken a word of her feelings to anyone at all, scared that the King would find out and distance her from Natsu. As much as she felt guilty for feeling this way for him, she also wanted to be near him. It was her duty to protect him, after all. Her heart knew it was more than that too._

 _Still, as her best friend Erza knew how she was feeling. That she was beating herself up every time she even bid good morning to the Prince. Her feelings were clashing more than ever recently with the threat of a war. She wanted to keep him safe from the Queen just as much as she wanted to selfishly keep him for herself._

" _I just don't want you to hurt yourself anymore," Erza continued. "Your feelings are not wrong for you to feel so guilty over them. The Prince could care less about a class difference."_

" _That's not the problem!" Lucy snapped. "It is utterly inappropriate for me to encourage a relationship when he will end up marrying a princess from some other land instead. That's his duty as the prince, and his father said so himself!"_

 _Those words stung when she overheard them. She wanted to discuss military matters with the King, and she accidentally heard his conversation with one of the advisers. She ran away then and ignored Natsu for a week, only interacting with him to do her job as his bodyguard. She felt foolish for acting like a child, but she didn't want to face the truth._

" _But what did the Prince say?"_

 _Lucy stepped away then. She hated that Erza was right. That Natsu didn't care, and that Lucy was only holding herself back. But she had enough respect for the King and pride in her position as the Diamond's top knight that she wanted to act appropriately, not selfishly._

"Lady Lucy!" A panting guard jogged up to her on the bridge, snapping her out of her memory. Amused and thankful for the distraction, she allowed him a moment to catch his breath and then asked him what he came here for.

"Lady Titania has returned, and she successfully captured the impostors. She also said she would be arriving to the meeting shortly."

"Thank you." She said. Thank goodness for the reliable Lady Erza. Now that Erza was back, she had no choice but to enter the meeting room soon and face the rest of the Fairy Tail court. She strolled over to the double doors at the end of the sky-bridge and took a deep breath. The knight threw the doors open and stepped inside.

Despite having just entered the meeting room, Lucy's head throbbed. Not only were most of the members present, representatives from other kingdom's courts had come as well. Thanks to her and Natsu's diplomatic efforts, the Kingdom of Diamonds, Clovers, and Spades had joined together in an unofficial-slash-official military alliance. Of course, the whole thing was kept a secret in order to prevent leaks to Queen Ur. The knights, when gathered together, were a rowdy bunch. Her eye twitched when she realized that some of them were standing up, about to get into a fistfight.

"That's enough!" She boomed. The knights quieted down as Lucy made her way to the head of the table. The guard posted at the door seemed miffed that she spoke before he made his announcement, but continued nonetheless.

"Announcing the arrival of the Golden Knight Lucy, from the Kingdom of Diamonds."

"Look who finally showed up." Sir Gajeel smirked. Lucy pursed her lips, holding back a retort. As the alliance leader, she had to force herself to always take the high road. But damn if that Gajeel didn't get on her nerved.

The door on the other side of the room opened. "Announcing the arrival of Lady Titania, from the Kingdom of Diamonds."

Erza quickly sat down in the second seat.

"Lady Levy, Meredy, and Sir Gildarts will not be joining us for this meeting. Now, we have much to discuss. Let's start with the rumors."

A white haired woman raised her hand. Mirajane. By power alone, she ranked third in the Fairy Tail Court. She had a sweet voice and kind blue eyes, but behind that pretty face was a devil. Lucy wasn't sure about that woman's past, but even her brother, the reckless Sir Elfman was afraid of her. She was strong and reliable, and Lucy valued her word.

"Lady Lucy," she started. "We received an anonymous note this morning, delivered by a cat of all creatures! Probably someone's familiar. Still, I urge you to take it seriously."

Lucy took the paper from Mirajane. She sharply sucked in a breath as she read the single word message. "Tomorrow." She read out loud.

Agitated whispering broke out among the knights. Lady Lisanna of the Clover Court, Mirajane and Elfman's sister, spoke out loud first. "What does that mean?"

With no doubt in her mind Lucy announced, "The Queen's attack. Allegedly, it will happen tomorrow!"

The whispering turned to shouting as the knights fought over the meaning of the message. It didn't have to be that, some said. Lucy shook her head. She could understand the worry that some of the other knights felt, like Gajeel and Lisanna from the Kingdom of Clovers. That kingdom was a small peninsula, not as rich in resources or as powerful as the Diamonds or Hearts. Even the Spades wasn't better off, which was why the three had joined together in the first place. If the Queen attacked their capitals tomorrow with their strongest mages here in a meeting, she would surely burn their homes to the ground.

"Silence!" Erza yelled.

"Oh, I have to alert the Queen!" Lisanna said.

"She's strong. No matter what, she'll be okay." Gajeel assured her.

As much as Lucy wanted to agree, she held her tongue. Queen Juvia was a young widow who was forced into power when her father and husband both died in an accident. Rumor had it Juvia was happier to be free of her husband Bora, since the arranged marriage wasn't as happy behind closed doors as it seemed, but that was a story for another day. She was well-liked by the citizens because despite her obsessive nature, she was an adept water mage who could hold her own in a fight in case her knights weren't there. If anyone stood a chance against the fire mages of the Hearts Kingdom, it was her, but Lucy didn't think she could win a three-on-one.

Especially not when her rumoured love Gray, the youngest Prince of Hearts was her enemy. Lucy always rolled her eyes at the gossip, but young women loved to entertain the idea of a "forbidden love" of sorts between the young Queen and the villainous Ur's son. Forbidden loves weren't nearly as juicy and romantic as the gossip made it seem. Mostly they were painful, especially when you knew that despite your fantasies, it could never be.

Lucy directed the focus on the threat of an attack looming over them. "As Lady Lisanna says, please alert your respective superiors. We should be prepared for an attack on any of our three kingdoms tomorrow at any time. Perhaps even all three kingdoms at once."

"No way she could do something like that. Her army is strong, but she can't split herself in three." Lady Minerva spoke. She was in the Saber Court, the group that formed the head of the Kingdom of Spade's military.

Sir Bickslow spoke next. "I agree. Shouldn't we focus our power at one place? We'll stand a better chance that way!"

"I don't believe 'her Majesty' is as simple minded as you make her out to be." Sir Rufus scoffed.

As the knights turned to bickering again, Lady Kagura stood up. "Quit speaking out of turn. Don't you realize how childish you're all acting? Let's devise a plan in a civilised fashion, as proper knights should. And listen to Lady Lucy! We are meeting in the Diamond Hall, and she is our superior in this alliance."

Lucy mouthed a thank you to the swordswoman. Kagura was strong, and in recent years had quickly climbed her way up the ranks and could now claim the title of being one of the strongest in the kingdom. Just like Lucy she was an orphan who joined the military as soon as she could. She was fiercely loyal to the kingdom that gave her a home, and always respectful of her superiors.

"I understand your points, Minerva and Bickslow. It is more likely she'd focus all her strength on one place to assure a quick victory. We should plan in the case of her attacking one place, but since we don't know which territory she'll attack, I advise that you all go home now. Queen Juvia and Queen Yukino can not be left alone in times like this."

No one argued. A few muttered about it being smarter that the strongest stay together, but directly defying Lucy and testing her patience was just asking to be chewed out by Erza, Kagura, or even Millianna who could be quite feisty herself. Their telepathy specialist, Meredy, was out on a special mission right now, so they couldn't get any quick emergency messages to the other rulers. Erza declared that she would warn King Igneel herself. Lucy thanked her, as all she wanted to do now was go to bed.

They wrapped up the meeting soon after that. Lucy smiled as she watched Lisanna hug her siblings. She didn't pry and ask why they were seperated in the first place, but she had learned years ago that it was pointless to ask Lisanna to stay here in Magnolia. She truly cared for Queen Juvia, and back in the Kingdom of Clovers she was training an apprentice: a young girl named Wendy. She had made a life for herself, and Lucy respected that she wasn't going to leave home anytime soon.

"Hey, don't get your head burnt off." Gajeel said with a pat to her back.

"You either." She teased. Gajeel could get on her nerves, but at the end of the day they were friends. The last thing Lucy wanted was to see any of her friends die. Even Laxus grumbled something to her about staying safe as she shared quick goodbyes with the Saber Knights.

Lucy bid her own court farewell and left the meeting room, heading towards her room in the western tower. Her feet felt heavy, like her boots were full of rocks. The meeting had drained more out of her than she thought it would. Expectedly, it was hard to act brave and strong in front of the continent's strongest mages. After so many years of anticipation for the Queen to make the first move, arguments in meeting halls, and nights full of dread, was this really happening? Tomorrow all her worst nightmares could come true. Natsu could be kidnapped and tortured, the king could be killed, Erza could be killed, the kingdom could be burnt to the ground-

"Lucy, are you aware you've been pacing in front of your chamber doors for the past five minutes?"

Lucy turned around, glaring at Natsu. The sling-armed bastard just gave her a cheeky grin. As much as she hated to admit it, he really did make her heart flutter.

Seriously, he asked, "Are you okay?" He stepped closer and reached for her hand, but Lucy pulled away. It was getting harder to ignore her guilt recently, the more she had to face the king. In the past, she let Natsu reach for her hand and whatever else as much as he liked. The thought that it was wrong and inappropriate was always in the back of her mind, but ultimately she ignored it. After overhearing the King, she steadily started to push him away, for both their sakes.

"I suppose you already know-"

"Know what?" So he didn't. Lucy bit her lip. Just her luck that she had to break the news to him.

"Your Highness, we are going into emergency mode starting tonight. Erza is currently discussing the possibility of an attack by the Queen of Hearts on this very castle tomorrow with your father." Her voice was shaky.

Emergency mode meant that Prince Natsu had to stay with her at all times and that twice as many guards would be watching over King Igneel 24/7. In the event of an infiltration, there were escape routes for the royal family to follow, and specific battle plans for the Fairy Tail Court and the rest of the knights as well. For many years she and her fellow knights had sparred and designed these plans: in the event of a brush with Princess Ultear you must know the limits and weaknesses of her space-perception magic, for example. Prince Natsu and his father had drilled the escape routes many times. As a last resort, they both practiced spells for their safety, which had been hard with Natsu's particular disorder. But now that this could truly be happening, Lucy found it hard to stay calm.

"Then stay by my side." He said simply. Her face warmed up. He took every chance he had to tease her. Maybe there was something funny to him about seeing the stoic and scary Golden Knight reduced to a blushing mess. For Lucy, it was less funny and more mortifying.

"Natsu."

"Lucy." Even when he said her name her cheeks grew warmer. This was wrong, so wrong. But she wanted to give in.

She exhaled. Her breath was shaky too, but she felt better after deciding that she wouldn't stress herself out more than necessary. She turned the topic to something else- the trial.

"I suppose we'll still have to prepare for our doppelganger's trial tomorrow. Best case scenario, there's no attack and everything goes well."

"Do you really mean to have them sentenced, regardless of their reasons?"

"Yes, we must! Of course even if they are sentenced to the dungeon or community service, what have you, we will help them get home. I can tell by their magical aura that they are not from this world. Their magic feels completely alien." She got chills just thinking about it.

"Fine, fine. I'd like to talk with them in private more, though. I'm curious about them. I mean, they're us, but not!"

"Definitely." She agreed.

She chatted with Natsu more, before he asked her to escort him to his own room where he wished to retire for the night. She was his bodyguard, after all. As they walked, Natsu reached for her hand again, and she didn't refuse.


	8. Chapter 7

_**Just to be clear, the chapter starts out with AU Lucy then switches back to Lucy Heartfilia. Sorry for a later update than usual, life got in the way a little. I also had to spend some more time writing a chapter than usual because even though I have major points set in place for the story, from this point onward I don't have half written chapters or anything like before. Enough of my excuses, onto the story!**_

Chapter 7

Lucy Heart opened her eyes and found herself in space. Her eyes widened and she tried to hold her breath, but she soon realized that she could breathe just fine. Was this some kind of lucid dream then?

She was walking on the rings of an unknown planet, marvelling at the beauty and color of the spirits floating around her. At least this dream world was nice. Of course she had never been here before, but she felt sure that the stars would guide her.

"Old friends." A deep voice echoed, and she turned around. She tried to take her sword out, but she was dressed in her nightgown. The voice wasn't coming from behind her, but from _inside her mind_. She shivered at the thought, but continued on her path.

Everything became foggy, and she couldn't see where she was going. She held her hands out in front of her, feeling around for something, anything. There was nothing. When she looked down, she just saw white.

"Hey, hey!" A voice called. The other Lucy came running up to her, then stopped to catch her breath. This was so confusing, why was she here in her dream? Why was this dream so empty? Usually she saw herself in some kind of battle, reliving the forest fire or any other kind of memory. It was never anything so vague.

"Is this real?"

"I-I think it is." The other Lucy said. They watched as the white space around them changed to show a vision.

A figure in shadow was chained up by their arms, their identity unknown. Queen Ur stood in front of them with a dagger in her hand. She was scowling at the prisoner, demanding something from them and pointing the dagger at their face.

"Tell me. Tell me where she is!"

The figure replied. He appeared to be a man, but his voice was cracked and hoarse. "Or what, you'll kill me?" He said, his voice barely above a whisper. Despite the torture he must've gone through, he was bold.

"She escaped from this palace today." Ur smirked. "How does it feel to suffer for someone who doesn't even remember you?"

Through gritted teeth he said, "It feels great, knowing she's far, far away from _you_."

"You better watch your tone." She warned, pointing the dagger ever so slightly closer to his throat.

"Face it Ur, you need me. I'm the only one who can get you what you want."

"You're wrong! You're not enough by yourself!" Ur screamed and threw the dagger to the ground. She lit her palm on fire, lighting up the dark cell and showing the man's face. He had blue hair, tattoos, and scars all over his body. He wasn't a man at all, but a teenager. The dark bags under his eyes, scars, and weary voice aged him considerably. The other Lucy gasped at the sight, and cried when she saw his condition.

"Jellal!"

The vision abruptly ended, leaving Lucy with more questions than answers. He was named Jellal… but who was he?

She felt dizzy all of a sudden. She stumbled around, unconsciously gripping onto the other Lucy for support. Her head was throbbing, and she felt like she was on the verge of remembering-

"My old friend."

The voice from before came back. The other Lucy seemed to hear it too because she faced the sky and shouted, "Spirit King!"

"Find him… Lucy."

* * *

Lucy woke up crying. She stifled a sob by covering her mouth. So that was Jellal in this world then. But what was Queen Ur doing with him? She couldn't even be sure if that vision was current, and if he was still alive judging by how he looked with those wounds.

She needed to see the other Lucy, and if she knew anything about him. But more importantly, she had to talk to Loke.

She turned her stiff body side to side, wincing at the cracking sounds and stretching her neck. Not only did she sleep like a rock, but it seems like she had slept on a rock too. She yelped as she heard a quiet snore behind her. Turning to see, she realized that there was someone sleeping next to her. She glared at the patterned scarf that covered the culprit's face. Eyes shifting around the cell as she sat up, she remembered where she was.

Yesterday afternoon they were led down to the cells by an overly enthusiastic guard. She was glad he hadn't thought to confiscate her keys or even search them at all (though that did make her suspicious.) He gave them some rules, but Lucy couldn't keep up with the guy at all, speaking faster than he could take a breath.

* * *

"And here's your cell!" He announced. It was a cramped, mostly empty space. But most importantly,

"Only one?"

"One what?" Natsu asked.

"One bed!"

"I'd hardly call that a bed, Lucy." She face palmed. Clearly _he_ didn't see a problem. They stood in silence for a moment, and she blushed. Maybe she was overreacting. It was a cell for goodness sake, not some love suite in a hotel room. She had camped with this guy and had to suffer through endless nights of his snoring in heat and snow and all sorts of dangerous conditions. She could handle this.

She sat on it, crossing her arms. "W-well. Alright then." Damn it. She couldn't' even keep from stuttering. Remember, not a big deal Lucy!

"Alright?" Natsu raised an eyebrow, confused at her weird behavior. He sat down next to her, seeing as the only other seating option was the floor.

They sat in silence for the rest of the evening. Even though they wanted to talk about the trial, Loke, and everything in between, the guard assigned to them from before was keeping a close eye on them. In fact, Lucy thought, too close of an eye. Instead of sitting at the typical guard's post, he sat in a chair pulled up practically in front of their cell. He watched them the way one would watch a caged animal in a zoo, curiously and somewhat amazed.

Finally, Natsu got impatient with his staring and spoke up. "Do you need something buddy? We're not gonna try and escape y'know."

The guard blushed. He stood up and cleared his throat. "I apologize! You two just look so much like Lady Lucy and the Prince. It's amazing! I wonder what kind of magic that is. No one around here tells me anything at all. I work so hard, and for what! I'm barely acknowledged." He continued to ramble on about his positive work attitude deserving some kind of commendation and that he was trying his hardest to prove himself as the new guy.

Their stomachs rumbled as a reminder that they hadn't eaten anything for a long, long while. The two shared a look, and Lucy cleared her throat, regaining the guard's attention.

"Right… I wanted to ask something, actually."

"Ask away!"

"When will we be served dinner?"

The guard laughed all of a sudden. "Oh that's _gold._ You won't of course."

Lucy's jaw dropped. Natsu stomped over to the bars and gripped them as he yelled, "What do you mean we won't? I'm starving!"

"Ahem."

"We're starving!"

The guard walked away then, back to his proper position but still keeping a close eye. Lucy felt like bursting into tears. Perhaps she seemed childish for wanting to cry over dinner, but she felt like everything was spiraling downhill fast and they were losing control of their plans. Their sentence was inevitable, summoning any one of her spirits was impossible right now, and she hadn't eaten in ages. Not to mention that she was still cold!

The sun set, and she crawled into the poor excuse of a bed, hoping to at least sleep the hunger away. That annoying guard was still watching them.

Natsu joined her soon after, her childish embarrassment from earlier forgotten. She was glad that out of everyone she could've been stuck with, it was him. That didn't mean she didn't love the rest of the team, Erza or Gray or her friend Levy, but Natsu was… different.

They were facing each other, and Natsu's dark eyes were locked on hers, contemplating. She didn't know what though. She was on the verge of tears and definitely red from the cold. She shivered as they didn't even have a blanket at the very least, and an open slot near the ceiling let in chill air from the outside.

Finally, he settled on shuffling closer to her with his chin on top of her head. He put an arm around her waist and draped his scarf over the both of them, sharing his warmth.

* * *

Natsu murmured something in his sleep, and Lucy decided to wait until he was awake to summon the spirit. She would've kept sleeping too if she could. The cell they were in was horrible; cramped and dark, furnished with only that horrible, cold cot to sleep in. She couldn't see much in front of the bars. Still, it was more than yesterday with that guard blocking the view. They were at the end of a hallway, since she could look out towards the empty rows of cells and the new guard that had nodded off by the door at the other end. It seemed as if they were the only ones in there. Maybe this was just the holding cells before a trial, and the real dungeon was deeper and scarier. She gulped, not wanting to find out what that was like.

Her head throbbed, and she rubbed her temples. She really needed more sleep. The adrenaline of running from Erza and the awe as they marched through the capital kept her up, but now she was exhausted from only taking a nap after the two days in a row she spent awake. Not to mention that weird dream-slash-vision she had with the other Lucy and Jellal. She was sure the spirits were involved, but it made her uneasy. She'd never had her magic involved in her dreams.

Natsu sat up behind her and rubbed his eyes. At least the crappy cot was able to accommodate two people. Although, she thought bashfully, last night they slept close enough that it didn't matter. "Morning Lucy!" He greeted, cheerful as ever.

"Seriously?" She whined. How was he not tired? Did he really expect her to believe he got a good night's rest in this thing?

"What, are you not gonna say it back?"

Lucy glared at him, and threw her pillow right in his face. Instead of fighting back like she expected him to, he just picked it up off the ground and set it back on the cot. She then noticed the dark bags under his eyes and realized that he was probably just trying to make the best of their situation. She felt a bit guilty for throwing the pillow. He hadn't eaten or slept anymore than she did either.

"So…" He started.

"So..." She hoped he had some idea for escaping their cell so they could search for the artifact, although he was just as tired as she was so the chances of that were basically zero. She wouldn't say no to something insane, like setting fire to the courtroom. After all it had worked before, right?

Lucy contemplated the plan for a moment, then remembered she was running on three hours of sleep. She should probably summon Loke. No, she should definitely summon him.

"I'm hungry."

"Deal with it." She quipped. Her stomach growled. She was pretty hungry herself.

The guard at the end of the hall was startled awake by something, and he left the room for a brief moment. Low voices echoed in the empty hall. The pair shared a look, and stayed quiet as they tried to catch what they were saying. Or mostly Natsu did.

He shook his head, saying that he couldn't really make anything out. Lucy shrugged, and resolved to summon Loke now that Natsu was awake and the guard left.

"Open, gate of the lion, Leo!"

Although Loke loved his flashy entrances, he opted to keep the light as he passed through the gate discreetly dim. In the dark cell he seemed more like a celestial being than ever, with his faintly glowing skin. Perhaps the spirits were affected by Wonderland.

"Natsu, Lucy, good to see you guys are well."

Natsu greeted him with a "yo" as Lucy sighed. "Not that well. The trial is soon, and I had the strangest dream… anyways, I wanted to talk with you and figure this out."

Loke opened his mouth to reply, but his eyes widened as he looked at the people approaching from behind her. Lucy looked to see none other than her other self and Prince Natsu headed their way. They must've been the ones talking to the guard.

Ah well. It was too late to send him back now. She held a hand up and let him know she wanted him to stay. They had already seen him.

Once their visitors saw there was someone new in the cell, they quickened their pace. Prince Natsu looked especially amazed. Loke looked shocked to see them, probably recognizing them from his research on this world.

"Who is this?" the knight demanded. "I wasn't told that there was a third person."

"I'm the leader of the Zodiac, Leo. At your service, Princess." He bowed.

The bewildered knight just crossed her arms. "Princess? You've got it wrong."

"Ignore him, he's just flirting." Lucy sighed. Now was not the time, she thought as she glared at her stupid spirit.

Loke gasped dramatically. "Excuse me? Now you've got it wrong. I'm addressing her as per her proper title!"

"My... proper title?"

"Knock it off." Lucy said through gritted teeth. She wasn't sure if Loke was trying to lighten the mood or what, but she was confused at why he was being so weird. Yes he _did_ like to flirt, but he also knew when to be serious.

An awkward moment of silence passed. "...You don't know."

The other Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Know what?"

"That you're the real Princess of Hearts."

 _ **Even in their conditions I managed to sneak in a cliche "have to share the bed" trope lol. Also, shocker! Knight Lucy is the missing princess! (More of a shocker to her than to us, but oh well.)**_


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Through gritted teeth the knight said, "You're mistaken. You need to explain who you are _now_ before I throw you in the dungeon."

Lucy stepped in before her spirit could make things worse. "It's my Celestial Spirit Magic." She held up Loke's key, attached to all the others. They sparkled as she showed them off. "I summon different spirits with these keys, and they come from another realm known as the Celestial Spirit World."

"Her magic is celestial like your Heavenly Light Magic!" Prince Natsu said to Lucy beside him, who had her arms crossed and was busy glaring at Loke.

"That's just like Jellal." Lucy commented. She made eye contact with the angry knight, who perked up at the mention of Jellal. Her mind flashed back to their shared dream other Lucy had almost fainted when she heard his name, but she wondered about their connection.

"About him-"

"Is everyone just going to ignore me?" Loke whined. "This is not a joke, Princess. Once I found out where Lucy, as in my keyholder, was, I spoke with the Spirit King and did research on this world. I know you are the true Princess of Hearts."

Jellal forgotten, Lucy's eyebrows furrowed at his words. "How… how? Before I came to the castle I was a servant for the Queen of Hearts. She hated me, I know that. But I am not her daughter."

He shook his head. "You're not. But that's the part I'm unsure about. I found out that the King and Queen of Hearts were Jude and Layla. They had two children… one of which was you. After six years, all mention of them vanished, and no one knew where they had gone. Suddenly Ur and her children were royals. No mention at all of the true Heart family or where they had gone. It was like they had been erased from history."

"I've never heard of a Queen Layla or King Jude. As far as I can remember Ur was the queen. I was even friends with Prince Gray when we were younger." Prince Natsu said.

Lucy took a wobbly step back from the cell, not able to believe what Loke was saying. She almost fell, but gripped the prince's shoulder. She shut her eyes tight. The air was tense.

"You said two children." Natsu pointed out.

He did. Lucy Heart's parents were the same as her own, but she knew she was an only child. Of course this being another world, that didn't mean everything was exactly the same… Gray, Lyon and Ultear were biological siblings here it seemed.

Again, Lucy recalled the vision the Spirit King had shown them. Ur was torturing Jellal, talking about a mysterious "she" who had escaped from the palace. She said that the escapee didn't remember Jellal. She knew that there was only a forest separating the Diamonds and Hearts, so this "she" would've come here to this kingdom.

Lucy Heart must've escaped the palace. She would've come here. Judging by her reaction to the name Jellal, he must have some significance to her she can't figure out because she can't remember him.

Loke continued, but Lucy already knew what he was going to say. "Right. Before the birth of Princess Lucy, The King and Queen had a son a few years earlier… His name was Jellal."

* * *

A loud bang resonated in the castle. Screams were heard above ground, and panic began to set in Lucy Heart. The other Natsu and Lucy looked at each other, eyes wide. A frantic guard ran into the hall, almost slipping and crashing into her.

"Lady Lucy! We are under attack! Guards have reported seeing Prince Lyon in the gardens. Erza was headed his way. There are Hearts soldiers everywhere. Their cavalry is storming through the city, and archers have set up on high ground."

"Where is the king?"

"No one knows."

"Damn it!" The knight cursed. Or was it princess? Either way, she sighed. This was the moment they had been planning for for years. She had spent so many meetings bickering with the rest of the court and laying out several plans, even putting in extra passageways for the royal family and staff. Now, Ur was finally at their doorstep. She just didn't anticipate things to turn out like this. She didn't have time to dwell on it too long, but she had come to her own conclusions about what Ur had done to her family in order to take the role as Queen. Except for Jellal, who seemed to be alive. Living a tortured existence, but alive.

Jellal, her brother. As soon as Lucy's spirit said it, she remembered him. There must've been some kind of memory lock spell on her, and it was broken once she was told of the truth. Vivid memories flashed in her mind of her older blue-haired brother, helping her with their shared celestial light magic. He was meant to be king someday, but now Ur had him locked in a dungeon.

Why? Why keep him alive? Or herself for that matter? If only she had a few more minutes, she could speak with the other Lucy and her spirit. Then they could figure things out. She shook her head. No time to think about what ifs. She took a deep breath and went into commander mode. But she hesitated. The other Natsu and Lucy were here, and they looked just like them… She could use them to her advantage.

"Prince, you will go through with your practiced escape plan. However, take the other Lucy to escort you instead of myself."

"What?" The other Lucy squeaked. She looked pale, and Lucy Heart was almost sorry to have to involve her.

The knight (or princess) turned to her doppelganger and kneeled. If she was going to beg she was going to do it properly at least. "Please Lucy, I need your help. We can use your Natsu as a distraction while the prince escapes. I trust that you can protect him. You are me, after all." Despite the anxiety bubbling in her stomach, she gave her a smile. She would prefer to see to the prince herself, but the king's whereabouts being unknown left a bad taste in her mouth.

Not a moment passed before the girl brightened. "All right, leave it to me!" She held her fist up, and the spirit put his hand on her shoulder. "Lucy's got us on her side, we can handle it."

"I hope you're right." She made a promise to King Igneel to always protect his son. She wasn't sure what he would think of her entrusting him to a stranger, especially if that stranger didn't have intimate knowledge of his disorder and limits. Hopefully he'd make an exception if said stranger was… her. Strange times called for strange measures.

"What about me?" The other Natsu said.

"You're coming with me." He nodded, almost calmly. Lucy was glad they didn't need much convincing. At least they realized the gravity of the situation.

The other Natsu embraced her doppelganger, holding her close. Her face was red, but she hugged him back tightly. Lucy smiled at the sight, when a voice came into her mind.

"Lucy?" It echoed. Meredy! So Team Shadowgear was back?

"I'm here! Update me." She pressed two fingers to her temple. It wasn't exactly necessary, as Meredy's Link magic allowed people to simply "think" at each other, but it helped prevent a headache.

"Levy is fine. Her men are too, excluding Jet and Droy. They were injured, but they'll live. We are near the entrance of the castle, but I see Hearts soldiers are here."

"I trust Levy knows what to do. You are of course, head of communication. Get to the tower, and keep me connected with the rest of the court. Can you link me to Erza?"

"On it."

A moment later, she heard Erza's voice. It was out of breath. "Lucy."

"Erza! What are you doing now?"

"Defending my home. Prince Lyon is here, but there's never ending waves of soldiers defending him. I believe he intends to burn down the garden."

"Erza…"

"Lucy, I can not let my tree be burnt down. Not again. I will protect all the spirits in the garden if it kills me."

"Be careful, Lady Titania."

"Always."

Meredy's voice came back. "Lucy, we found some alarming things back at the Golden Palace. First of all, a dungeon that was forbidden to all servants. Only Ur went down there. I wanted to Link our senses so I could see what was there, but you forbade me from doing so."

"It's too dangerous." Lucy's heart beat faster. A restricted dungeon, like the one from the vision?

Before she could ask about anyone being down there, Meredy said "We've got trouble, so I gotta go. I'll get to the tower soon. Stay safe Lucy."

"You too."

The communication cut off then. If all the knights stuck to their positions, everything would go well. Citizens would be evacuated by now, and the castle would be properly defended. But King Igneel was nowhere to be found, and she hoped to take the other Natsu with her to look for him. She didn't even know what kind of magic _he_ had, but she would have to hope it was enough.

She turned to her Natsu then, tempted to kiss him (and blushing at the thought.) If they never saw each other again… no. She refused to think like that. He would escape with the other Lucy, she would find his father, and they would be evacuated. Ur would be defeated, and things would end well. She stood on her toes, because even with her boots she was still a few inches shorter, and kissed him on the cheek. The prince took her hand and squeezed it in reassurance.

"I'll see you soon." He smiled at her. She ignored the butterflies in her stomach.

"Very soon." She repeated. She took her keys and uncuffed the other world mages. Natsu and the other Lucy (and her spirit) took off.

She turned to the other Natsu. It was amazing how much two people could be so alike, and yet so different. This Natsu was a lot rougher around the edges than the prince. Not necessarily dirty, per se. Just more antsy, like he was itching to get into a fight. He was muscular, with a scaled pattern scarf and black coat. He had the same pink hair, but it was spiked up and much more messy. When he smiled, he revealed slightly pointed teeth.

"What's your full name?"

"Natsu Dragneel."

"Alright Dragneel, let's go. I need to get my armor, but this place will probably be crawling with enemies."

He smirked. "Not a problem with me. What's your plan?"

"I need to find King Igneel. He's missing right now, and no doubt Ur is trying to kill him. He's very strong, but he's older now and not as able as he thinks he is. He won't hold out for long. First, I need my armor from the armory above us. It's not too far."

He nodded and ran beside her. Once they left the prison, they had to take the stairs up to the ground floor. From there, they needed to exit the hallway and enter the training area where the armory was located. They'd have to run through a field, but she was mostly worried about the hallway. She could fight in her coat and boots, but she was more vulnerable without her sword and armor. Attacks were harder to avoid in an enclosed space, and with her magic, she could easily destroy the hall.

Another thing crossed her mind. If Natsu was meant to be the prince's decoy, he had to look the part too. They had a lot of places to go, and not a lot of time to do it.

Once they reached the top of the stairs, they opened the door to the hallway. As expected, Hearts soldiers were waiting.

"Get them!"

Before Lucy could even think about a spell, Natsu roared and summoned fire. The orange light flickered in her eyes as she stood there, speechless.

"Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"

He ignited his palms and slowly brought them apart until he was holding a ball. He launched the fire at the soldiers, and the fire roared to life in an explosion. Some of the soldiers escaped the initial blast, and he added more power to the growing beast of flames. Most of the soldiers were out cold at this point. Or rather, out hot.

Lucy snapped out of her daze, amazed at the fire wizard. But forget his magic, the hall was full of giant drapes to cover the windows and flammable carpet. If the fire grew any stronger, they'd be trapped in here too!

"Hey! Cool it, you'll burn this whole place down!" She yelled. The fire creeped closer, and she instinctively jumped away from the heat on her back.

"I can't really put it out!" He yelled back. Her eye twitched, and she grabbed him by the scarf.

"Let's get out of here!" They ran out to the end of the hall, and Lucy was admittedly grateful that Natsu had made quick work of the soldiers. She wasn't exactly eager to let him steal all the glory though. She knew her magic was impressive, and she was hoping for a chance to show it off.

Once they were outside, she asked, "What kind of magic is that?"

He smiled, flashing those slightly pointed teeth. Weird to see Natsu like this, but in a way it was oddly fitting. "It's Dragon Slayer magic. On Earthland, Igneel is a dragon, and he taught me magic."

A dragon! "That's amazing. Dragons haven't existed for thousands of years."

Natsu shrugged. "Kind of the same back home, but it's a long story."

She nodded. They ran on the path, with Lucy leading the way. There would be a fork in the road soon, the left path leading to the gardens where Erza was, the forward path would be where the Prince and other Lucy went, and the right led to the armory. She wished she could help Erza or see her prince again, but she had a job to do.

They ran to the right, into a mass of soldiers with swords at the ready.

* * *

The Kingdom of Diamonds was a bitterly icy place, cold all year round and only letting up in what would be the summer months.. Rich in minerals but not so rich in plant life, the King had no choice but to bubble the gardens and seal them off. There was plenty of natural sunlight, but all the soil and diversity in nature was only there because of the hard work of talented nature mages and potion experts from all around the kingdom.

It was a beautiful space, reminding Erza of her old forest home. Thanks to the work of the mages and the protective dome surrounding it, they created an eternal spring where Erza and other nature spirits had taken root in. No other dryads unfortunately, but plenty of small fairies and some pond nymphs.

At the center of the gardens was a massive tree, born from the mixture of magic and potions that had laid the groundwork for the gardens. It wasn't a tree you could find in the wild (that she knew of), but it was beautiful, and at night its normally pink leaves glowed in all colors of the rainbow. Erza had taken this tree as her home, connecting her life force to it. On a night full of turmoil she would come home to this tree and feel the warmth in her chest.

All of this beauty, love, and magic was being threatened now by Lyon and the Queen's soldiers. If she didn't stop them, she'd be forced to see her home burnt to the ground again, and this time she'd burn with it. The mere thought made her gnash her teeth in anger.

She was still in her human form, and she used her sword to fight the soldiers. Currently she was only facing three, which was better than she could've hoped for. More were coming, but that was for later. She had to find Lyon.

One slashed at her, and she parried his blow. He grunted as she pushed back at the soldier, knocking him into his ally. While two of them were stumbling over each other, she faced the third.

She faked a swing and he tried to move out of the way, but he overestimated and lost his balance. With another whack into his side he corrected himself, but Erza had depended on this and smirked and she kicked his shin. The other soldiers had regained their balance and found themselves crashing right into each other again. She almost laughed at them.

One recovered faster than the rest, and striked again. He was strong, but she dug her heels into the dirt and blocked his attack. She pushed back, knowing that he would underestimate her strength. Even in a human form, she was still physically stronger than most.

In his surprise she saw an opening, and went for a critical blow. He crumpled to the ground, and she prepared to face the other two again.

They attacked her at once, and she found herself on the defense more often than not. She ran behind a tree, using it as a shield between herself and the soldiers.

Now she was able to fight them one on one. She closed the distance and elbowed one in the jaw. He dropped his sword and screamed in pain. Another strike, and it was over.

One left.

He pinned her to the tree and held his sword at her throat. Erza gulped. She had been caught.

"What are you waiting for?" She asked, not liking the way the point was pressing into her.

"I'm taking you to Lyon."

* * *

 _ **A small note about how the knights in Wonderland fight: they do have weapons, mostly swords but also bows and lances that they use. The type of magic the soldier has determines how much or how they use their sword. As a nature spirit/ fairy-like creature Erza can fly, and she's fast and strong but she doesn't have requip so instead I have her rely on her sword. Lucy has something like Heavenly Body Magic so she relies on that but uses her sword when it's more convenient than casting magic.**_

 _ **Typically in the episodes when there's a "final battle" thing going on, everyone's split up and the show cuts to each individual fight. I'm trying to emulate that kind of feeling here (but in writing of course.)**_


	10. Chapter 9

_**Sorry for this late and short update, but I have so much work to do for school as well as a summer job and I haven't gotten much of a chance to just sit down and write.**_

* * *

Chapter 9

Lucy and the prince were currently crouching behind a pillar, hoping that the group of Hearts soldiers passing by wouldn't notice them. Loke had gone back to the Spirit World, saying that it was easier to hide as a group of two than three.

The soldiers passed, and the two quickly moved on. The prince told her there was a safehouse for himself and the king where they were supposed to hide. The quickest way to reach it was by taking a shortcut through the garden then finding the secret library passageway. Lucy thought this kind of thing seemed much more exciting in her books, but right now her heart was hammering against her chest. Even Natsu seemed calmer, though she supposed he could just be good at hiding his feelings.

There was something weighing on her mind ever since the other Lucy told her to take care of the prince. Hesitant to ask, she waited until they were completely alone on the path to the garden to bring it up. "Can I ask you something Na- I mean Prince, er, your highness?"

He turned around, offering a small smile. "Just call me Natsu. I'm sure it's weird for you."

"No kidding." Imagining Natsu Dragneel of all people as a calm and noble prince like the one before her… No way. She remembered how weird it was when she discovered how different the Edolas Natsu was from his Earthland counterpart with his love of vehicles and how afraid he was of her. Their relationship, as in her and Natsu, was always interesting in alternate worlds. No matter how different their personalities were, they always ended up as friends somehow. According to Lisanna even more in the case of Edolas. She cleared her throat, waving away the memory.

"I was just wondering about your Lucy here." And her past especially. "I mean," Lucy thought, "Jellal as her brother? Secret long lost princess? Who wrote this fairy tale?"

"Oh I see. Well for one thing your magic is pretty similar. She uses Heavenly Light. I know you know about her being the 'Golden Knight' et cetera, and her rank in the court. She's also my bodyguard."

"Bodyguard?" Lucy turned around, thinking that there was some noise behind her. There was nothing, so she dismissed it as paranoia. Who wouldn't get nervous in this situation?

"Yes. I'm…" He started. Pause. He furrowed his eyebrows. "Is it really that strange for a prince to have a personal bodyguard?"

"Oh not at all! Again, it's just weird for me knowing how my Natsu is."

He nodded his head. "And your Natsu… what's his magic like?"

"On Earthland Igneel, your father, is a dragon. He taught Natsu Fire Dragon Slayer magic, which is insanely destructive and quite the annoyance on jobs. It's pretty useful in the winter. " Lucy joked. In winter she would be a lot more affectionate with him, although she could admit that it wasn't entirely because of the cold. Walking in this snow, she almost wished he was here right now. According to Prince Natsu, the garden existed in a bubble, and it was warm in there.

"Fire magic! As you know, I use ice."

"Right, like our friend Gray."

Natsu looked sad for a moment. "Right, Gray. He was my friend when we were kids. Once Ur stopped faking diplomacy and visiting other kingdoms, I couldn't see him again." He hesitated before starting again. "If Lucy asked you to watch over me, there's something you should know."

Natsu had stopped and turned around, but he was looking at his shoes rather than at her. Lucy wanted to hear him out, but several horsemen were coming their way fast, holding lances and scowling at them. Two in the back of their formation were holding Hearts Kingdom banners.

"Natsu, get out of the way!"

She tackled him and they rolled into the snow right as the soldiers charged past, nearly skewering them. They stopped, and some changed their lances for swords. Lucy didn't hesitate before summoning Taurus, one of her biggest spirits.

"Are you okay?" Lucy gave him a hand.

"I'm fine." He brushed some snow off his shoulder.

"She trusted me to protect you, so just stay behind me." It was weird saying that to Natsu's face knowing how many times he had protected her. Well anyways, this was a lookalike, not Natsu himself.

She wasn't sure right now about how much training this Natsu had, or how strong he was. All she knew was that he used ice magic, so she decided to rely on her own strength instead. With Taurus summoned, he used his axe to knock some of the soldiers away and scared off some of the horses.

Still, there were so many of them. How could she take care of all of them at once? Her eyes glanced around the terrain. They were on a pathway from one tower to the gardens, and it was basically open. There was no water, nothing but snow, and no cover either.

She changed into her Sagittarius Star Dress, hoping to knock a bunch out at once. Some of the soldiers had produced shields, and she wondered if this group was a group of non magic users.

"Woah!" She heard the other Natsu exclaim from behind. She couldn't help but smile. Her transformation had purposefully been flashier than usual, knowing that he'd never seen this type of magic before.

Lucy took a deep breath as Taurus struggled to fight the group before him. They had firmly planted themselves in the snow, not allowing him to knock them around. He couldn't exactly shatter the ground here either, since the snow was deep. She drew back the bow, closing her eyes.

"Star Shot!"

A flurry of arrows rained upon the soldiers. It almost seemed like starlight. The majority of the soldiers had been knocked out by Taurus and her attack, yet a few remained standing.

"Taurus, you can go!" He went away, and Lucy immediately summoned Loke. Hand to hand combat would be best against a few soldiers.

"Miss me, Princess?"

"Shut it."

She changed into her Leo Star Dress. She definitely had to talk to her spirits about designing more weather appropriate versions later on, but for now, she charged the soldiers alongside her spirit. Her initial guess had probably been right, since none of them had used magic at all. If this world was anything like Earthland, most of the people wouldn't be practicing mages, making most of Ur's army regular soldiers.

She moved in and grabbed one guy's wrist, twisting it. He dropped his sword to the ground and tried to push her away, but she smirked as her leg glowed with the power of Regulus.

"Lucy kick!"

The man doubled over, holding the sensitive area Lucy had just attacked.

"That's enough!" The other one grunted. He didn't have a weapon, but he tried to punch her in the face. In the corner of her eye, Lucy could see Loke struggling.

"Natsu!" Two soldiers made a move to get him, but he ran from them. Why didn't he just use his magic? She punched her enemy in the jaw, and winced when he spat blood. He _growled_ and latched his hands around Lucy's throat. She couldn't breathe, Loke was struggling, and Natsu still wouldn't use his magic. Why?

"Lucy!" Her spirit and the prince called for her in unison. The prince bit his lip and stood his ground. Lucy recognized his stance, and she realized he was about to use his ice make magic.

A hammer materialized, not as cartoonishly gigantic as Gray would have made it, but it was effective. It hit the soldier choking her in his side, and he fell over. Lucy gasped for air and watched, horrified, as Natsu fell over too. Unmoving. What just happened?

"Loke, go back!"

"But-"

She glared at him with tears in her eyes. "Listen to me." In a flash of light he returned to the Celestial Spirit realm and she sprinted over to Natsu, who was definitely passed out.

"Natsu? Wake up!" He was definitely breathing, but she couldn't figure out what had suddenly caused him to faint. The two soldiers left standing who were chasing him chuckled and gruffly picked her up by her arms. Lucy cried at their grip, already imagining the bruises she would have from this.

One of them put Natsu over his shoulder like a sack and said, "C'mon miss. We're taking you to Lyon."


	11. Chapter 10

_**First of all, let me apologize for not updating in so long! I promise I haven't abandoned this fic and I'm planning to see it through until the end, even if it takes forever. School (and some personal life stuff)has just taken up a lot of my time now, so it's been hard to do anything besides work.**_

 _ **I'm gonna try my best to update more often, even if it's short updates.**_

Chapter 10

Lucy Heart had Natsu peek the corner for any enemies, but the hallway was clear. She stopped in front of the door to her room and took a deep breath.

It took longer than she thought to get here. The whole exterior of the palace was swarming with Ur's soldiers. Meredy managed to keep her in touch with the rest of the Fairy Tail court except for Erza. Citizens had been evacuated and she knew that their own soldiers were well prepared for this, but no one knew where Ur was, she didn't know how Erza was doing, _and_ she was worried about the prince! Natsu Dragneel had assured her many times that Lucy could protect him, but she knew how he was.

If they got in trouble, he would definitely jump at the chance to prove himself and use his magic, even while knowing the risks. It wasn't Natsu's fault that he was the way he was, but he had once confided in her that he felt weak and unworthy of being the heir to the throne.

Trying to put her faith in her Earthland counterpart, she focused on the task at hand and opened the door. Natsu tried to follow behind her, but she held up her hand.

"What do you think you're doing? I'm going to change into my armor."

"Yeah? I know."

She pursed her lips. "It's inappropriate if I let you into my room while I'm changing."

"Seriously? It's not like I haven't seen Lucy without clothes on before."

Lucy's cheeks burned bright red at that comment, and she slammed the door in his face before she could appear unprofessional for any longer. Just how close were they? It didn't seem like they were a proper couple, but if what he says is true…

She set her coat aside and quickly grabbed the Golden Knight armor. The standard silver set she wore most often while training or on patrol was kept in the armory with everyone else's, but the Golden Knight was to remain here, in her bedroom where she could reach it at all times.

The striking part about it was not the armor itself, which was a slightly-bigger-than-average standard set in gold, but herself. With the armor, her magic was enhanced, causing her heavenly light to glow brighter. The weight of the metal also reminded her of her duty as the Golden Knight, so she stood a little taller too.

As she kicked off her boots and adjusted the straps, she thought about her own Natsu again. Whatever their Earthland selves relationship status was, it was not really any of her business. Especially when she had her own problems to deal with. Loving Natsu came with too much pain and too much joy all at once. Nauseating and exhilarating, it meant everything to her. People will always want what they can't have, and they wanted to be together.

Although, if what the lion spirit said was true, she was the Princess of Hearts. In short, it would be alright for her to marry, as she was royalty. (It also meant that Jellal, her _brother_ was out there somewhere. She wasn't alone in this world.) Even so, she didn't want to get her hopes up.

She sighed as she reached for the doorknob. It didn't matter how she felt. Right now lives were at stake, and she had to focus on finding King Igneel. She found Natsu Dragneel leaning against the wall.

"The throne room is not too far from here compared to the trek from the holding cells. If King Igneel is there, Ur or one of her children is likely to be there also."

"Alright," Natsu cracked his knuckles. "I'm all fired up!"

* * *

Erza carefully watched the soldier escorting her to Lyon. She had originally planned to fight her way out of the rope handcuffs and escape, but if he could take her directly to him, she could take down Lyon herself. The longer she thought about that evil fire mage setting up a base in _her_ home, the more anxious she was to see him.

There was no doubt about Queen Ur being a ruthless and unforgiving queen. A citizen could be executed for even breathing her way, and no one could question her. Her children were another story.

They had a complicated dynamic, as there were rumors that all 3 had different fathers. Because of this, their power was different. Gray was the weakest, with Lyon being only slightly more powerful. Ultear was on a whole other level. She had been able to master not one, but _two_ difficult magics. Named for her mother and the eldest, she had been groomed to take over the throne since she was a young child. Lyon had become her apprentice, and the pair terrorized citizens even worse than their mother. Erza had long hoped to be able to bring them to justice.

Zoned out, she didn't notice when she arrived at the makeshift base camp around the central tree. She snapped out of it when the Hearts soldier shoved her forward, and she fell on her knees. She had come home to the tree connected to her life force, and she almost weeped when she saw him standing under it.

Lyon had his arms behind his back, inspecting it. Inspecting her with hungry eyes, like he couldn't wait to burn it down. The vivid memory of the day her forest and sisters burned replayed in her mind, and she shut her eyes tight.

"Already kneeling? It seems Lady Titania is weaker than I thought." He clicked his tongue, smiling mischievously.

Erza looked him in the eyes and transformed. She felt her body change and grow, and wings unfolded from her back. Beautiful clear wings that gleamed as it caught the setting sun. The ropes snapped with her power.

Lyon only smirked and threw his cape to the side. "The sheer arrogance…" Erza muttered. He wasn't wearing any armor, just thick clothes for Magnolia's weather.

The Hearts soldiers were quick to move, but he held a hand up. "I have this."

Fire sparked in his palm, and Erza panicked. She had to get him away from her tree. Eyes darting for a target, she flew into an unsuspecting soldier in the other direction and stole his sword. It wasn't really her style, but it would have to do.

A fireball came flying at her, and she narrowly missed it as she turned her body to the side. Lyon had no sword, so all she had to do was get close…

A steady stream of fire sprouted from his feet, propelling him forward. He yelled as he held his elbow out in front of him, planting it in her face. The two flew into a cart with supplies in it.

"Too fast!" She thought. He got up first and kicked her down. He was smiling like the evil man he was as he winded his leg back for a second kick. Erza quickly grabbed his ankle and pulled it forward, causing him to lose his balance.

"Bit-" He flopped onto the ground, and Erza picked herself up.

Erza yelped and stepped away when the ground surrounding her grew too hot to stand on. Lyon stood, gripped her shoulders, and pushed her face into the wall.

"Let's see how you like it when your wings are gone, you damn fly!"

Her eyes were wide, looking back at the horrible fire burning in his hands. The heat approached her back and in an instant it became too much to handle. She was sure she was screaming, but she couldn't hear it. All she could focus on was part of herself being ripped away from her body as the fire ate up her left wing.

* * *

This was bad. Like, really bad. Lucy was tied up (she was getting tired of this) and being roughly pushed around by the Hearts soldiers. Prince Natsu was still unconscious from his position over the soldier's shoulder, and it didn't seem likely he would wake up soon.

Even if they hadn't taken her keys, she couldn't even reach for them. They were apparently being brought to Lyon, and she would've felt amused if it wasn't for what was at stake. She remembered when she first met the Earthland Lyon. At that time he stood across from them, while now he would fight beside them.

She missed all the Earthland mages. Especially Fairy Tail. Levy, Mirajane, Cana, Wendy, Gray, and-

"Erza!" She cried out. They had arrived at the makeshift base camp set up by a giant tree. But she didn't have time to admire the sakura, as Lyon was currently holding a flame to the dryad's wing.

Lucy watched in horror as Erza screamed in pain and her wing actually _melted_ away. When the wing was gone, Lyon let her go and she crumpled to her knees. Erza cried, clutching at her shoulder. She had to do something!

"Loke, where are you?" She thought. If she could get access to her keys and have him help Erza…

The spirit appeared, shocking the soldiers at the base. Lyon turned around at the flash of light and scowled.

"What is this? Get him!"

Lucy shared a grin with her spirit as he attacked the soldier holding onto the prince. The soldier dropped him, and Lucy winced when Natsu fell to the ground with a thud and still didn't stir.

When the soldier was taken care of, they took advantage of the others shock and Loke passed her the keys. She sliced the rope with them and summoned Scorpio.

The arrival of another person made the soldiers jump into action, trying their best to approach him. He created a sandstorm and blinded them while destroying supply crates and carts.

Lucy thought things were going smoothly as the majority of the soldiers had been taken care of, but there was one problem. She wanted to check on both Erza and Natsu, but she couldn't split herself in two!

Oh. Wait.

"Open, gate of the twins! Gemini!"

The spirit appeared, already transformed into Lucy from the last time she summoned them. She had them check on the prince while she went to check on Erza. She almost felt guilty, as her duty was to take care of Natsu, but Erza was in greater danger with Lyon angrily standing over her.

"You! That weak disguise won't fool anyone." He pointed at her as she approached Erza, who was weeping over her missing wing.

Lucy ignored Lyon and confidently strode over to Erza's side, Loke right behind her.

"Don't ignore me!"

She placed a hand on Erza's good shoulder. "Are you okay?" She asked softly.

"Lucy?" Erza asked, pained. When she saw the zodiac with arms crossed behind her, she realized. "Oh, where is-"

Lucy quickly glanced at Gemini, sitting next to the prince. Gemini had propped him up against a tree, but he was still asleep. They joined Scorpio against the few Hearts soldiers left standing.

"He's alright, don't worry about him. I need you to stand Erza. You're strong, so I know you can."

"I can't." She said. "He burned my wing, I-I can't fly anymore."

"But you can stand. Take my hand."

The dryad grit her teeth in pain, but took Lucy's hand. Lyon moved to do something, but Loke quickly stopped him. He pushed Loke away and charged up an attack.

"Are you okay?"

"It hurts." She wasn't sobbing anymore, but a few tears escaped her eyes as she spoke to Lucy.

"But Lucy, where is Prince Natsu?" Erza asked.

Her eyes quickly darted to where the prince lay, and a panic briefly flashed on her spirits weren't doing so well against the soldiers. Erza caught on and turned to see the prince unconscious, and seemed to be filled with resolve at the sight. Despite the pain, she steeled her expression and reached for the sword she dropped earlier.

"Leave this to me Lucy. You must protect Natsu."

"Will you be alright?" Lucy asked. She wanted to go. She was starting to feel the tug on her magic reserves and some of the previously blinded soldiers had managed to wash the sand out of their eyes. But Erza's injury...

"This is my home. I will protect it along with the friends that stand beside me."

Lucy smiled at the sight of Erza, standing like her Earthland counterpart with a sword in hand, bravely facing her enemy even with an injury. She trusted her, and ran to join her spirits as Lyon unleashed his attack.


	12. Special: Prince of Hearts

_**Shout out to Lord Jaric! He made a TV Tropes page for this fanfiction, which I or may not have fangirled when I saw it haha. It might seem ridiculous but this is my first ever full length fic, so even just having one follower would make me excited, let alone a tropes page. Seriously, I think it's really cool!**_

 _ **On a related note, I really appreciate the reviews, follows, and favorites! I smile when I see the notifications.**_

 _ **I had fun writing this chapter because it was something I'd been planning out for a long time. I really do enjoy these specials, with one time only POVs. This one is from Gray's perspective.**_

 _ **Warnings for the queen being excessively physically and emotionally abusive. Obviously there's a lot of fantasy violence when you have magic users fighting each other but I get uncomfortable when children are hurt, so I'd like to warn my readers too.**_

Special Chapter: Prince of Hearts

Gray held his breath as the Queen stomped past, muttering to herself. Every time she came from that room she was angry. He briefly wondered what was in there, but it was off limits to everyone but herself. He was hiding behind a statue in the corridor, which was barely enough to cover him.

Unfortunately, Ur wasn't dull enough to not notice the little prince and his dark spiky hair.

"Gray." He froze, still holding his breath.

He couldn't do it forever. It would only make her angrier if he pretended not to hear her, and she was already in a bad mood. He reluctantly stepped out from behind the statue, his movements shaky.

"Just what," she said through gritted teeth, "are you doing?"

He spoke softly. "I'm playing hide and seek."

"With who?"

"My siblings." He winced at the blatant lie. Never in a million years would his siblings play hide and seek with him. They were too busy being serious and training all the time. In truth, he had managed to convince one of the servant girls to play with him. It was hard, considering how timid she was, but she agreed in the end.

She was silent for an uncomfortably long time, but then sighed. "Gray. Tell me who."

No! He wanted to scream. He didn't want to tell her. If he told her, she would hurt her. His mother's expression told him he couldn't refuse.

"With Lucy."

In a flash her face twisted into that of a monster's, full of immeasurable rage. She didn't bother scolding him any further, and instead stalked off to seek his playmate, her shoes clacking loudly on the floor. It hurt his ears. He had left her in the next hallway over, but he desperately wished she wouldn't turn the corner-

"Prince Gray! Where are you?" She called out in a sing-song voice.

Too late. The blonde had practically crashed into the red-hot Queen. Steam was coming out of her ears. She looked down at Lucy, and he looked away and shut his eyes tight before her hand made contact with her face.

This wasn't fair. He had been the one to ask. He shouldn't have asked. He pestered her until she said yes, she always seemed so lonely! Gray just wanted to play with another kid his age. He couldn't play with Natsu, his best friend, anymore since the Queen had a temper tantrum and stopped being civil with the Diamond Kingdom. And for whatever reason, Ur _hated_ Lucy.

He didn't know much about her. She was an uninteresting and quiet errand girl, who often went into town to fetch things for the kitchen staff and the like. She did her job just fine and was always kind to himself and his siblings, even if Ultear and Lyon acted like jerks in return. Everything to like and nothing to hate. So why? Was there something he wasn't understanding?

The Queen left the hall quickly after that, leaving Lucy clutching at her cheek on the floor. If she agreed to play with him, it was because she was lonely too. At the end of the day, she was a kid just like him.

It wasn't fair.

"Gray! Come on." His mother called.

Even though he felt bad seeing her cry, he was more afraid of his mother than anything else. He left the hall, averting his gaze as he walked past.

* * *

After seeing what she had done to Lucy, Gray defied his mother less often. He listened to Lyon and Ultear closely as they trained him, and he didn't speak to Lucy again. He never pestered his siblings to play, or for his mother to take him back to his old friend. He did everything he was supposed to, and still it all felt wrong.

It just wasn't fair. He couldn't get that thought out of his mind. There must have been something about the girl that made his family treat her so badly.

"Don't bother Gray." Ultear scowled as she handed Gray another book, using him like a shelf. He was strong for a kid thanks to magic training, but he almost dropped the stack on their feet when she placed yet another novel at the top. " _She_ is lower class. _We_ are royalty. Society works this way, and she just has to learn her place." Ultear had told him. Their mother said so, and what their mother said was always right.

He wanted to scoff at that. She was right about them being royalty, but didn't that mean they had to treat everyone kindly? Instead, his mother ruled through violence.

Why couldn't anyone see that this was all wrong?

Storybooks and old grandmas told tales of great kings and queens who were beloved by all their kingdom for their kindness. But in carriage rides or at public announcements, Gray would gaze into the eyes of the people and they would look away. There was no love.

Only fear.

* * *

He watched as his mother came out of that locked door again, seething as always. He wasn't sure how to get in there. A special locking spell?

"Gray!"

"Yes mother?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. "I swear the staff is never around when I need them. Find Lucy. I have some tasks for her."

"Of course."

He quickly left the hallway, already planning on "coincidentally" happening not to find her. Whenever his mother was in a bad mood after leaving that room, she'd give Lucy some horrible task that ended with her crying and getting scolded for doing so.

He didn't think Lucy would consider him a friend. She was still timid, and only spoke when spoken to. He was also afraid of reaching out because of his mother. Still, it felt good to rebel in little ways like this. He tried his best to seem like the perfect son, but truly hated it here. He hated being the youngest. If he could be king, things would be better. Instead, Ultear was next in line. His big sister was just as bad as their mother.

He thought of the mischievous grin as she practiced with her second magic on a soldier. She was getting better by the day, and that was terrifying. Correction. She wasn't just as bad- she was worse.

Gray knew that later on Ur would lash out on him for not finding Lucy, but he would take it. He believed in being kind, and Ur was not kind, especially to her. It was the least he could do.

The boy was lost in his thoughts when he bumped into the girl. By the look on her face you could've sworn Gray was a caterpillar smoking a pipe, or some other absurd sight.

"I-I'm so sorry Prince Gray! I was in a rush-"

He held up a hand. "It's okay." He tried to get away from her as quickly as possible. If he acted like he hadn't seen her, then he could get away with it.

"Gray! Where are you going so fast? Do you want to fight?"

Gray slowly turned to meet Lyon. Lyon was two years his senior, with spiked white hair that didn't quite match up with the red fire he was always eager to use. Perhaps that was what made him the most unsettling of the siblings. Compared to Ultear and Lyon, Gray must've seemed like a saint. (He wasn't really. He was just a normal human being who understood sympathy unlike the sociopaths in his family.)

Lyon always wanted to fight, too. Put blunty, Ultear was so much better than him in every way. She was naturally gifted, intelligent and strong, skilled in two disciplines while Lyon was still learning one. Gray guessed that he wanted attention from their mother, as she so obviously favoured their sister. He treated Gray like a punching bag, fighting him because he knew he'd always win against the younger and less experienced mage.

How could he say no without arousing suspicion? The only way out, he sighed, would be to tell the truth.

Ignoring Lyon he turned to Lucy, who was stark white. She must've been shocked to run into not just one, but _two_ of the royal family. At least it was the two who were easier to deal with.

"Lucy. Queen Ur is requesting your presence right now."

"Oh, okay." Something flashed in her eyes. She looked absolutely terrified, but Gray couldn't feel bad for too long. This was the best way. If he had gone through with ignoring her, Lyon certainly would've told their mother and then they would both be punished.

"Hey brat, answer my question." Lyon said. Gray fought the urge to stick his tongue out at him.

"I'm doing errands right now, so I really can't."

Lyon scoffed. "Just get a random servant to do it for you, dumbass."

"Sorry, they're special errands from mother." He quickly made up the lie on the spot, knowing it would irritate him.

"She never gives me special errands." Lyon muttered under his breath.

 _Then you're the lucky one._

* * *

Was it sad that a seven year old boy only had one friend - an ugly stone knight statue that saved his life many, _many_ times?

Gray had assigned himself a mission this month: to find out what was behind that locked door that got the Queen so angry every time she left it. The first time he conducted a stakeout, he was almost caught. Luckily, since the original statue had been replaced he was now able to hide behind an oversized shield if he crouched.

He listened as the Queen whispered to herself, and he heard the door click many times, unlocking. It was a locking spell like he had guessed. Whenever he knew he was safe from Ultear's prying eyes, he would search for books on locks in their library. Ultear had become very studious these past few months, always hungry for more knowledge. Rather, for more power.

His mother left the room and he listened carefully to her words. He thought he caught it all except for the last word, but he had a few ideas of what it could be. She wasn't as irritated as usual, but he ducked behind the knight's shield regardless.

When she left, he looked up at the statue and mentally thanked it for its protection, then ran to the door. He placed his palm on the door and furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to feel for the locks on the other side.

The only magic Gray really knew was fire magic. It was simple, destructive, and powerful. It was scary in the hands of his mother and siblings. In an instant, flames could roar to life from his palms and burn everyone alive.

But when he was younger, and they still visited the Diamond kingdom which was forever icy, he was able to learn about the other side of fire - the side that was warm. Fire could be kind and inviting. He had a warm drink with his friend by the fireplace, was greeted by the Diamond king with a warm smile, and got to know the warmth that could live in his heart.

Once they had to leave, he realized just how much of an oxymoron Ur was. A bitter cold queen, with the power of fire. He didn't want to be like that. So he needed to find out what was behind this door.

He watched Ur for so long that he figured it out fast. His heart was pounding in his chest. Finally, he would know the truth.

The door creaked, but only slightly. He still cringed at the sound, but snuck in anyways. The door shut quietly, the only sound being the thumping of his heartbeat.

It was so dark! He carefully lit a small flame in his palm, eyes widening when he saw the stairs leading downward. Whatever was down there, he hoped it wasn't dangerous. He took a deep breath and descended the stone stairs.

He was grateful for his magic. It was so cold down here. A lonely hallway, and at the end, a cell door.

He crept closer and closer to the door, hoping that nothing would pop out and scare him.

Chains rattled, and Gray jumped out of his skin. He took another moment to calm himself, and approached the cell door.

A man - no, a teenager. Maybe Ultear's age, give or take. He had such dark undereye bags Gray thought he seemed a lot older. Everything about him was striking and terrifying, from his bright blue hair to the red tattoos on his eye. There were scars on his body.

He was chained around his wrists. He could move freely around the room, but right now he was just staring blankly at the wall.

"Hi." Gray squeaked.

Now it was the prisoner's turn to jump out of his skin. That's what he was, right? Gray gulped - even if he was a teenager, if his mother kept him prisoner down here, did that mean he was dangerous?

The blue haired guy didn't bother to greet him. "A kid? What is this?" His voice wasn't super deep, but rough and broken. He looked at Gray sadly.

"I'm Gray. Um, Prince Gray. Who are you? Why does my mother keep you down here? She gets mad when she leaves." He couldn't really help it, but he had been curious about this place for so long that he blurted out all of his thoughts. What was so special about this boy?

"You're her son." He said, staring. Gray nodded.

"Why are you down here?"

"I wanted to meet you."

The boy looked shocked at that. He was silent for another moment, and tried to shift into a different sitting position. He looked pained at the motions, so he stopped.

"Are you hurt?"

The boy tried to laugh, but couldn't. "Of course. Your mother tortures me all the time."

Gray was frozen. Tortured him? Is she the one who gave him all those scars? Those strange markings?

"I don't understand."

"She's killing me. Or trying to. The only reason she hasn't yet is because there's something she wants."

Gray ran away after that.

The whole way from the secret cell, through the corridor and up to his room he thought about the pain in that boy's eyes. He knew his mother was cruel, he knew it. He watched her abuse Lucy, threaten her servants, and scare her own citizens. He was scared of her, even Lyon and even _Ultear_ her favorite was scared of her.

But that boy? Scarring his skin just for some _thing_? Nothing could be more valuable than a human life.

How could someone be so evil?

And just what did she want?

Gray fell asleep late that night. He had a nightmare about a scarred boy, Lucy's face with a red hand print burning her cheek, and a forest burning to the ground.

* * *

He returned the very next day. His mother left, he jumped out from behind the shield, and ran down the stairs. He held a chocolate cake he asked the kitchen staff for. It was lame, but Gray thought that since cake made him feel better, it would help the boy feel better too.

Plus, he wanted answers.

The blue haired boy looked just as surprised to see him. Then he scowled.

"Surprised that your mommy isn't as nice as she seems?"

Gray was taken aback. "She's never been nice."

He slid the cake through the bars, over to the boy who was surprised by his words.

"...For me? Why?"

"You looked sad."

He still looked sad, but he tried a piece of the cake regardless. He poked at the cherry on top, leaving it at the side as he finished the slice. A few tears escaped, but he mostly held it together.

"...Thank you, Gray." He slid the plate back to him, leaving the cherry behind.

"Lucy loves cherries. And chocolate cake." The boy whispered to himself for no one to hear. In the silence of the cell, however, Gray heard every word.

"How do you know Lucy?"

The boy tensed. "I…" He struggled to form words, eyes wide as he stared at Gray. "Sh-She…" He tried again. It was no use. Finally he sighed, his eyes dark as he stared at the ground.

"Yesterday, you asked who I was."

Gray noticed the change in subject, but it was probably better to let him speak. "My name is Jellal." Gray nodded. He mirrored Jellal's pose, sitting on the floor with his legs crossed.

"Your queen is not who she says she is. She's tricking everyone, including you."

"What do you mean?"

"How old are you?"

"I'm seven. And a half."

"Do you remember when you were six?"

He nodded. He remembered very distinctly everything about the last year and a half. How he started training, dressing properly, really taking his role as a prince seriously. The harsh education, learning to speak formally, respectfully. Obediently. Ultear being groomed for her future role as queen, Lyon becoming bitter as the months passed by. The older siblings he looked up to turning into villains. The image of his mother tainted by greed.

He remembered all of it.

"And when you were five? Or four?"

"No, I was way too young."

Jellal raised an eyebrow. "You're young now. Just try, please."

So he tried. But he really must've been too young. All he had was vague memories of being at home with his siblings and eating dinner. But what was home? In those memories it looked like some worn down house. Nothing like the grand palace he lived in.

He shook his head.

"Once upon a time," the blue haired boy began, "there was an attack on this palace."

Gray opened his mouth to argue, but Jellal interrupted. "The king and queen fled, but they were caught by the enemies. No one saw them after that." Jellal took a moment to shut his eyes tight. He kept his eyes closed as he told his story.

"The king and queen had two children. A little girl, around your age or a little younger. And a boy. A little older. They fled too, and were also caught. But they were seperated for some reason. The girl was taken away, and the boy became a prisoner. He had no idea where his little sister went."

Jellal teared up. "The one who led the attack conducted a widespread memory spell with her followers. She called herself Queen, and the kingdom of Hearts, which was about love and light became the kingdom of fire. She tortured the ex-prince, yelling about some artifact. As an original Heart, only his family's magic could summon it."

He paused to sob, and rubbed at his eyes. With a shaky voice he finished. "He was tortured, but withstood it all for the princess. The evil queen wiped her memory and turned her into a slave, using her to threaten him."

Gray couldn't say anything. It was clear who the story was about. "If you're the prince..." Gray felt shocked to say it out loud. His role, his identity was a lie. Still, Jellal pressed him on. "Then who's the princess?"

Jellal smiled sadly. "Her name is Lucy Heart."

* * *

Gray didn't run away like last time, but he had to leave because he had spent too long in there already. But how could he face anyone now that he knew the truth?

When he passed a maid in the hall, he wanted to scream, "Do you know my mother is lying to you? To everyone?"

With Ultear in the library, forcing him to study, he couldn't look her in the eye. Did she know? Did she care? She was a fake, just like him. The real royal family was being kept prisoner, or made to serve them.

He saw Lucy, holding a bucket of crops standing next to the head chef's apprentice. She had bruises on her arms. He couldn't look her in the eye, knowing the truth while she had no idea.

Gray spent the rest of the day floating around the castle like a ghost.

* * *

Six months passed by fast, and Gray was eight years old. Still a child, yet too mature for his age with what he knew. For appearance's sake, he lived the lie he was forced to live. But for his guilt, he visited Jellal whenever he could, bringing him food. The queen had been barely feeding him.

He learned that even Jellal didn't know much about the supposed artifact only the Heart royal family could summon. But Ur forced him to try anyways, hurting him until he exhausted his magic bank trying to do it. She was starting to get frustrated after two years and no real progress.

He also found a good friend in Jellal. It was like having his older siblings back in the form of a kind older brother. Jellal relied on Gray for updates on Lucy, but Gray tried not to let him know about the bruises, just that she was fine. Or fine for the situation anyways.

The truth was that Ur's patience was wearing thin. She was getting more and more snappy with Lucy, hurting Jellal more often, desperate for the artifact. Probably desperate to be rid of Lucy too, knowing she was just another thread that could rip the seam of her lies apart.

Gray was scared she might kill Lucy, and he was tired of being passive. He wasn't the six year old kid who averted his eyes at Lucy's pain anymore. So he proposed a plan.

"Why don't we help Lucy escape?"

"By we you mean you, right? Gray, you're a child. She will actually kill both of you."

"You don't know that!"

Jellal glared at him. "You are not, under any circumstances, doing this. You don't know what you're getting into. You don't understand how much of a monster Ur can be when she's angry, how badly she would hurt you and Lucy if this doesn't work!"

"Jellal,"

"No. The answer is no. Please Gray, just watch out for her from the sidelines. Maybe when you're older, and more capable of doing things for yourself. But not when you're both still kids."

Gray left, not mentioning how they may not have that much time.

* * *

Ur was pissed, excessively, positively pissed. Too many things had gone wrong that day, and for the first time, she scarred Lucy. Gray only listened to rumours from staff, but she had bled so much and scared Spetto so badly that she almost marched to the throne room to give Ur a piece of her mind. The only thing stopping her was that Lucy needed someone and Spetto didn't want to get beheaded.

Lucy had been so happy too. She mentioned something about making a new friend (to the maid of course, but Gray was still happy to mention it to Jellal. Being the anxious brother he was, he started to panic at who this friend could be.)

Jellal looked grim when he heard the news, and decided that maybe Gray was right, and they were running out of time.

So they made a plan. She could escape through the dryad forest, where no human ever ventured. Walking by the river, she could make it to Magnolia. With Gray's name, King Igneel would surely help her.

They'd have to find her a weapon, and supplies. Clothes and food and water. The dryads could try to hurt her. They wouldn't discriminate just because she was a child. She could fall in the river and drown. She could get attacked by wild animals. Magnolia's crime was low thanks to the Fairy Tail court and the knights keeping the law enforced, but there were always desperate beggars.

Despite the risks, it was safer than being here.

* * *

Jellal panicked over every possibility of everything that could go wrong, but nothing could've prepared Gray for how badly it _did_ go wrong.

Ur was angry, once again. She was calling for Lucy. Gray saw the fire ablaze in her eyes and ran, ran as fast as his eight year old body could take him. Lucy innocently wiped down a table, but Gray took her hand and ran to the palace entrance.

She was red, unsure of what was happening. "Prince Gray? Wh-"

"You need to go."

Lucy was scared. "Why?"

"Because my mom will kill you otherwise!"

Behind them, the Queen _roared_ her name. She didn't know Gray was with her, which was good. He didn't have time to get the staff to help him with the resources they'd planned for. All he had was directions to give her, and his name.

"Run, Lucy. Into the forest. Find the river, and follow it into Magnolia. Find the castle, and tell King Igneel you're coming in my name, Prince Gray from the Kingdom of Hearts."

"Your highness, are you telling me-"

"Yes! I'm telling you to go!"

She suddenly stopped and hugged him tight, crying into his shoulder. "I will never forget this kindness."

She ran to the forest just ahead of them, and Gray didn't have time for anything more but a small wave until he had to hide from the wrath of his mother.

Queen Ur lit everything in her path, the fire destroying the world around her. He watched from a castle window as the forest burned alive. The flames were red, hot, and angry. Hungry for life.

Despite himself, his heart knew the warmth of fire. Lucy would survive this. She was the true Princess of Hearts, the survivor of the attack on the original royal family, the key to everything Ur wanted. Everything she couldn't have.

She had to.


	13. Chapter 12

**Apologies for a short update in a long time. School is taking up all my time, so this is the best I can do for now.**

Chapter 12

Lucy ran to check on the prince, trying her best to ignore the sounds of Erza and Lyon's battle behind her. Erza always hid her pain with a smile, and she knew that a missing wing would be no joke.

Still, she changed into Scorpio's Star Dress and swiftly moved through Scorpio's sand (or dirt) storm, attacking a soldier. Gemini did their best to protect the unconscious Natsu from all the dirt flying everywhere.

"Well, what's this? The Golden Knight has some new threads?"

Shocked to hear that voice, Lucy turned around and met Princess Ultear's piercing gaze. She was smirking, her blood red lips sending chills down her spine. She could feel her power from here.

"I see my brother is occupied. Brother dear, you're too slow. I would've been rid of that dryad already."

"P-princess!" The Hearts soldiers bowed as she entered the space, and they momentarily stopped fighting. Even in her own soldiers, Lucy saw fear flash in their eyes.

"Don't bow to me, seize them!"

The soldiers swarmed Scorpio, holding him back by his tail. Lucy forced his gate closed, not wanting her spirit to suffer. Gemini, in the form of herself, was captured too. They went back on their own, leaving the prince vulnerable. She had no choice, and Lucy surrendered.

"Good. I like this efficiency. I'm sure my mother will praise you all." Ultear said sarcastically. Lucy was thrown to the ground roughly next to Natsu, and their hands were tied.

"I have many questions for you… Lucy." Ultear scowled as she said it, like the name left a bad taste in her mouth.

As the princess towered before her, Lucy took her in fully. She seemed taller than her Earthland counterpart, or maybe that was just her aura. Rather than a princess gown, she was dressed for battle. Similar to her arrogant brother in winter gear, she wore a warm winter outfit, gloves, and cape. She had ribbons in her hair, but Lucy found it to be more creepy than cute. Her Earthland counterpart became kind, but the princess was more like when they first met and stood apart as enemies.

Ultear continued to stare at her, probably waiting for a response. Well, Lucy refused to give one to her. Her lips were sealed unless she had some kind of truth-telling magic.

She pursed her lips. "I've got him now… but where is she?"

Don't tell her… she figured them out? Lucy's shock must've been apparent on her face because Ultear laughed. "Oh, come on. As if I was going to fall for that. I know you're not her."

"How?" She spoke, unable to stop herself.

Raising an eyebrow she teased, "But wow, you even sound like her! Of course I had informants in the Diamond palace. I'm not some sort of amateur."

Lucy's mind flashed back to the weirdly creepy guard Natsu and her had watching over them the day they arrived. He had watched them really closely, and even mentioned how much they looked like their counterparts. He might've even eavesdropped as they planned the switch down there in the jail. It makes sense that he was a traitor.

"I don't know where she is now." It wasn't a lie. She assumed that she was with Natsu of course, and on their way to the throne room. Maybe in a fight. But she had no way of knowing where.

"If you don't want to talk, that's fine. I'll just take you in her place. That's what you were planning, right?"

"Take me where?" She panicked. This was not meant to happen. She wasn't planning on running into Ultear, supposedly the strongest sibling, and she definitely didn't want to get herself and mostly the prince captured.

"My mother entrusted me with the task of taking care of Lucy Heart and Natsu Diamond. Don't worry. I'll take good care of you, like Mother asked."

Bound by her wrists and ankles and running out of magic, Lucy had no choice.

* * *

Natsu punched a soldier in the face and roared as he avoided another's sword. Thanks to a boost from his flames, he kicked the sword away and smashed the two soldier's heads together. Their metal helmets vibrated as they collapsed.

On their way to the throne room, the knight Lucy and he had a moment to chat about their counterparts. He briefly talked about Lucy and her celestial magic, which he thought was really cool.

"What kind of magic does your Natsu use?"

"Ice, like King Igneel."

Natsu scrunched his nose. He remembered how on Edolas everyone was like opposites, so he didn't say anything. Lucy Heart looked melancholy, and hesitated before she spoke again.

"He's very passionate about his training, always pushing himself past his limits. But he'll never be able to…" She struggled to find the right words and sighed. "He will never be as strong as he wishes to be."

"Why not?"

"Unfortunately, Prince Natsu was born with a rare disorder called Magic Deficiency Disease." Natsu's eyebrows shot up.

"It's just as it sounds. His magic is extremely limited, and even though he can train to push those limits, once he gets past a certain point he'll pass out. His magic also takes a long time to regenerate."

He scoffed. "So?"

"What do you mean, 'so?'"

Natsu was a firm believer that anything is possible if you believe in yourself and have the support of your friends. Even though the Prince was another world's version of him, it was still him and he knew that if he trained hard enough he'd become stronger, no matter how long it took.

"It sounds like you don't believe in him."

Lucy looked offended. "What? I do! It's just too dangerous. He could die if he trains _too_ hard."

"Just don't let him get to that point. Trust him. If he wants to become stronger, then he'll do it." He said simply.

"I…" Lost in thought, Lucy trailed off. Natsu remembered a time in which he felt like this about Lucy. Of course, she didn't have a deficiency problem, but it was around the time they first met when she admitted that she wanted to get stronger because she felt so far behind from everyone else on their team. He understood that desire, but there's a certain point where a mage just can't go farther and have to wait until they build up more experience. Lucy was frustrated back then. He smiled as he thought about how much stronger she's gotten since then.

"Okay." Lucy said finally. "I'll stop being so overbearing."

He nodded. They were getting close to the central courtyard which led right up to the throne room public entrance. There were soldiers who had set up camp, with tents and weapons. A mass of soldiers from the makeshift camp ahead of them were fighting with a woman who was protecting a group of children, trembling as they hid behind her.

She had brown hair and was clearly a mage, using card magic… It was Cana!

"Cana!" He called out. She turned, surprised to see him but nodded in acknowledgement. She held up a card and summoned a rider on a horse, six wands surrounding him. The wands built up an attack and unleashed a massive ball of energy as the horse charged into the soldiers, knocking them over. Natsu whooped, but there was no time to celebrate as backup arrived.

Without a word, he and Lucy joined the fray. Lucy pulled out her sword, looking like a true knight in (literally) shining armor. The golden armor made a significant difference, as she seemed to even move swifter and her blows were more powerful. Metal clanged against metal as she battled several Hearts soldiers at a time.

Natsu himself roared fire at the soldiers swarming Cana, carefully avoiding the children. They looked at the hot flames in fear, but when they realized he was on their side the kids cheered them on.

The horseman had disappeared, and in his place was three women raising three cups, or chalices rather, to the sky. Water gushed out of the cups, washing away some of the soldiers who were left sputtering and coughing on the ground. He took this chance to charge forward with a fiery fist and punch their lights out.

"Why are you here Cana?" He yelled over the sounds of fighting.

"I had to protect these kids. And for you and Lady Lucy."

"You knew we were gonna be here?"

"Of course." She smirked. He glanced at her third eye, and remembered what Cana Alberona's magic translated into on Wonderland - divination. Her cards manifested themselves differently here, almost like summoning celestial spirits and not just objects or elements.

"It's very important you get to the throne room as soon as possible, or my vision won't come true."

"Has that ever happened?"

She grit her teeth. "Not yet. And it won't. Ur needs to be defeated, no matter the cost. Let's finish up here."

As she said it, more backup arrived. It was like the soldiers were never ending. Natsu looked back at Lucy, who was tiring. She wasn't using her magic, instead relying on her sword and enhanced strength from the armor. She was glowing even with the white of the snow and he was forced to look away.

"Come at me you bastards!"

Three soldiers charged him at once, their swords glinting in the sunlight. He ignited his head, meeting them halfway and headbutting the middle one in his chest. The soldier fell the ground, and he ducked and dodged the swings of the other two.

He set his legs ablaze and kicked one to the ground, but one of their allies snuck up behind him and held him in a headlock. He clawed at the soldier's arms as he started choking, but the metal armor protected the man from any significant damage.

"We've got you now." The man boasted.

"Are-ack- you sure?" He leaned forward and threw his head back as hard as he could, hitting the man in the nose. He loosened his grip as his nose began to bleed and Natsu punched him again for good measure.

Still, the others he defeated were regaining their stamina, and they charged at him once more. A sword clattered to his left, and he saw Lucy glaring at the large man who had forced her sword with his own. She dodged his attacks and her eyes shifted nervously.

He sidestepped and then roared fire at his attackers. Cana was busy shifting through her cards.

"Cana! What are you doing?"

She ignored him, muttering to herself. "The Star- no, not that one. Ah, I've got it."

She held a card that was different than the others. Even from where he was standing he could feel the magic coming off of it in waves. Cana closed her eyes and opened her third as she became locked in a chant. Some of the fighting around them slowed as they watched her cast the spell.

A glow emanated from the card, growing until it encompassed his entire view and he shut his eyes. Wind blew, and when he opened his eyes again, there was a giant before them.

A stoic woman in a white dress with a crown of flowers towered over them, standing fifteen feet tall. She had a fierce lion at her side, just as large as she was. The beast was calm, but the woman gently placed her hand on his head and he roared.

The Hearts soldiers were terrified, but readied their weapons anyways. Some of them from farther away had taken up the bow, shooting at the giant magical figures. But the arrows passed through, like the figures were non corporeal and made of light. The beast pounced at the soldiers, whose swords uselessly jabbed at the beast. In an instant, the giant woman and her lion defeated the remaining men and disappeared.

Cana who was stuck in a trance the whole time fell to her knees, sweating even though it was cold. He and Lucy rushed over to her.

"Are you okay? What was that?"

"I'll be okay. That was one of the major arcana. Strength. Now, you two must get to the throne room. Lucy,"

"Yes?"

"You cannot do it alone. You must combine your celestial powers in order to do what needs to be done. Do you understand?"

Lucy tilted her head. "Somewhat?"

"When the moment comes, you'll understand. Now go."

Cana fell asleep, and Natsu and Lucy moved on.


	14. Chapter 13

_**Thank you so much for the reviews! I had a lot of fun in the last chapter since I got to show off Cana's reinvented card magic. In case you haven't realized, she's using tarot cards.**_

 _ **To Lord Jaric: I agree, I wanted to write a longer fight scene but I also wanted to put out an update quickly. I'll try my best to improve the length and epicness of it haha.**_

 _ **To Lady La-Sara: Thank you for the kind review! I'm glad you're enjoying my story. I originally posted this not even expecting to get one review, so having 12 makes me happy :)**_

 _ **I just watched the Fairy Tail 2018 episode, and I also just found out about the 100 years quest manga! It's nice to see the characters again, so I was inspired!**_

 _ **I'm looking at wrapping this story up in 15 chapters, so we are approaching the end! I have something special planned for the ending ;)**_

* * *

Chapter 13

"This is my home. I will protect it along with the friends that stand beside me." Erza forced a smile as she watched the Earthland Lucy run back to the prince.

It hurt. To be without her wing was like being without her arm. She was incomplete, out of balance. It was hard to stand, but she stood as tall as she could. Magnolia was depending on her, and she would never abandon her home or her friends.

Lyon was staring right at her, a murderous look in his eyes. He opened his palm and summoned fire, aiming it right at her.

She tried to fly out of the way out of instinct, but because her wing was gone all she managed to do was turn her body and face the impact with her shoulder. She cried out as she was pushed down and slid across the ground.

"What's wrong?" The prince taunted. Another blast came her way, and she barely managed to roll out of its path.

"Does it hurt?" A third wave, and she ducked behind a weapons cart.

"Come out Erza!" He yelled. "Are you a coward?"

There had to be something she could use to gain an edge. Without her flight and her off balance, she was at a serious disadvantage. Light struck the metal behind her, and she realized she had chosen the right place to hide. Her eyes scanned the weapons cart, searching for something that would approximately be the best fit.

A bow was useless against him. The hammer looked ridiculous. But that scarlet and black sword on the lower shelf…

She grabbed it right as Lyon had come up and kicked the cart away. Weapons were scattered across the floor and she glared at the fire prince before her.

He didn't have time to register her new equipment before she swung it at him. His eyes were wide as he managed to duck.

He leaped back avoiding her strikes, and she smirked.

He grit his teeth and aimed another fireball toward her, but she deflected it with the sword. In awe she stared at the weapon, wondering what kind of enchantment had made it immune to fire.

"What? Why is that here?!"

She looked towards the tree connected to her life force and smiled. Erza was wingless, but she could do this. Her spirit gained strength from the shock on Lyon's face.

He tried again, but she shot his own magic right back at him. She dashed at the second Prince of Hearts, who steeled himself and ducked low enough to punch her in the gut with his fist ablaze.

She winced and almost doubled over, but kept her grip on the sword as he tried to forcefully pull it out of her hands. Erza was used to flying right into her enemies, taking them out in a flurry of punches and calling it a day. Hand to hand strung out combat was never her specialty, but Lady Titania would never back down from a challenge.

She swung the sword again, ignoring the burn from her injured shoulder. In a twisted dance, the dryad and the prince would swing and duck, avoiding each others blows. A fireball was deflected into a tent, lighting the camp on fire. A strike into his side, and a punch into hers. Her hair stuck to her forehead as she sweat from the heat of the flames. Regardless she would swing again, only to miss him as he jumped out of her way.

"Brother dear!"

Lyon's faced morphed into a scowl, and Erza spared a glance to see Natsu and Lucy thrown to the ground, Princess Ultear standing before them. She quietly gasped at the sight of the princess, the most dangerous of all the siblings. The tear of Ur, she took after her mother and all her evil ways.

"You're too slow, I would've been rid of that dryad already!" Ultear called out to him.

As much as she wanted to protect her comrades, Lyon was still a threat. Her eyes shifted back to him as he prepared to burn her face off with another ball of fire. He growled as it flew toward her, and she held the fire-resistant sword up to protect herself. She couldn't deflect it, and even with her heels digging into the dirt she was pushed back into a tree.

The sword fell and clattered on the ground, tears escaping as the injured shoulder that had taken the brunt of the impact burned in pain. Not to mention the injuries in the rest of her body.

"Just die!" Lyon screamed from where he stood, getting closer by the second. He lit his whole body on fire and ran at her. "I'll burn you to ashes!"

She was in her dryad form, but she felt herself getting weaker. She put her hand to the ground and concentrated on the earth around her, the earth from which she was born. The tree she had been pushed into was _her_ tree, the gigantic tree that stood in the center of the garden. As the sun began to set, the rainbow leaves came to life, glittering in her peripheral vision. No one noticed as their glow brightened and she melted into it, leaving her human body behind.

"Where did you go?!" Lyon called out.

His anger didn't matter. Human things didn't matter, dryad things didn't matter. She could feel the nutrients in the dirt, soaking it in through her roots. The wind flowing past every leaf, the weight of every bug, the energy from the sun's fading light - she felt it all. She wasn't Lady Titania from the Fairy Tail court. She was a Rainbow Sakura.

The leaves shone in every color, red, pink, yellow, blue, and she reformed her body, stronger than ever.

Her wing was still missing as it would take more than a minute to heal her wound, but it was no longer in pain. She took a deep breath and stared at Lyon whose furrowed eyebrows shot up in shock.

She tackled him, pushing her elbow into his throat. He choked and gasped for air and tried to pull her arm off of him, but Erza wouldn't budge. Tears were forming in his eyes, but Erza's gaze remained fierce.

"K-ki…" She loosened her grip slightly to hear what he had to say.

"Kill me." He whispered.

She instantly let him go and he kneeled, coughing up blood and clutching at his neck.

"I'm not as weak as you are."

Erza handcuffed him without a fight, and dragged him to Diamond soldiers nearby. She tapped her temple and mentally called out for a link to Meredy.

"Erza! Are you okay?" Meredy asked, her voice echoing in her mind.

Her wing was gone, but she looked down at the defeated Prince of Hearts and had hope for Magnolia.

"I will be."

* * *

Lucy just stared out the window at the setting sun, feeling odd and sentimental. It was getting dark, and things weren't looking well for their side. She wondered how her partner Natsu was doing, as well as her counterpart Lucy. Those two were strong enough to handle themselves, but they weren't invincible.

Especially with Natsu's big mouth and rashness, they had undoubtedly already gotten into trouble. The question was if they could get out of it. She loved him, but he was exhausting.

It was a bold thing to claim, she thought to herself as she stared at his unconscious doppelganger next to her. But it was true. The prince had his voice, his eyes, and definitely his hair, but he wasn't _him._ She would love to be fighting at his side right now, as they worked well together. Even in a life or death situation, he would creep into her mind. She shooed the thoughts away as right now, she had to protect the prince and get out of here.

Prince Natsu shifted and slowly blinked his eyes open. He panicked when he saw the increasing darkness of the carriage and his limbs tied together.

"Lucy! Where, what, h-"

"Shh!" She held a finger to her lips, glancing at the front of the carriage. She doubted he was heard, but it was better to be careful.

"You passed out trying to protect me, which I thank you for. But we were captured and brought to Prince Lyon's camp, where Princess Ultear found us. Now we're in her carriage being held as prisoners as she takes us to who-knows-where. She said it was her job to 'take care of' Lucy Heart and you, but she took me as a replacement."

He tried to reach for her hands, but it was awkward with the thick rope in their way. He still grasped them as best as he could and bowed his head. "I sincerely apologize. You shouldn't have gotten caught up in a war that's not yours."

"What? No way, I'm a Fairy Tail mage. That's what we do- we help people. Plus, I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be." Lucy assured him.

He shook his head. "That's noble of you, but it's all my fault. If I wasn't so weak, I wouldn't need a bodyguard and Lucy wouldn't have to send you with me. She could've done her duties, and I could defend myself."

"What do you mean?"

"I passed out after using so much magic because my body can't handle it."

"Why?"

His gaze was sad, and he chose to lean back and look out the window instead. "I was born with a rare disorder called Magic Deficiency. I've trained to increase my stamina, but there's a small limit to the amount of magic I can use at a time before hurting myself."

Lucy gasped. Magic deficiency… she had never heard of such a thing on Earthland. She couldn't imagine not being able to use magic as freely as she did. If she couldn't summon even a single spirit without passing out, she wouldn't be able to live her dream as a mage. As the prince who lived in the public eye, she imagined Natsu felt immense pressure to be as strong as his father. Without being able to meet those expectations, anyone would feel weak.

He smiled sadly. "So you see, I'm useless without her or anyone to take care of me. I passed out because I was reckless, and now we're here."

"Don't say that!" Lucy shout-whispered. "I was the one tasked with protecting you. If anything, it was my fault we were caught because I wasn't strong enough. Don't blame yourself for something you can't control!"

The carriage halted before the prince could reply. From what she could see out the window, they were in the forest and far from the castle.

A Hearts soldier opened the door to reveal Ultear standing there with her arms crossed. The soldier directed them out of the carriage and they were forcefully thrown to the ground.

"Enjoy your rest, your Highness?" Ultear mocked. The prince just stayed silent.

She couldn't reach her keys, but maybe Natsu could get them for her. They'd have to be discreet about it though.

They were at a cabin in the woods. A couple of horses were tied to a post and the carriage remained where it was. Natsu's eyes widened when he saw where they were. "This was the safehouse we were heading to."

She looked around. "So we were doomed from the start." Princess Ultear and her men had taken over the safehouse on the inside, setting up their own equipment and even sleeping bags. It was larger than it seemed, and a couple of soldiers stopped drawing on a map to bow to the princess as she walked in.

"As you were men. Please send a messenger to my mother and tell her I've captured the prince and Lucy's look alike, but I have no idea where the real Lucy Heart is. I also haven't received word on my mother's progress."

"No messengers have come this way, Princess. We understand that she is still on her way or already at the throne room."

"Very well. I'd like to be alone with these two."

The soldiers shared a look with each other. "O-of course, Princess." They scrambled to get out of their chairs and leave them alone. Lucy heard a horse whinny as the messenger (presumably) rode away.

As Ultear was occupied, she nudged the prince.

"My keys." She mouthed.

He looked for them, but shook his head.

She raised an eyebrow at him, but he mouthed, "Not there."

"Scheming already?" Ultear said. Lucy froze as Ultear's blood red lips curled up in a smile, holding up her keys.

"I suppose you're looking for the- ow!" The keys clattered to the ground. They had burned brightly and shocked Ultear, and Lucy smiled as her spirits defended themselves from their realm.

She flopped to the ground and tried her best to drag the keys to herself with her handcuffs, but Ultear scowled and kicked them away.

"Don't test me!"

The keys weren't that far, Lucy tried to crawl to them, but something in the air changed. Her head was pounding as the space around her shifted and grew.

Suddenly Natsu was a hundred feet away, and her keys were right behind him. Their eyes met, and she gestured behind him. Ultear stood next to him and laughed as the space changed again, the keys suddenly even farther away than before.

"What is this?" She said.

Her head was killing her, a pressure so immense building in her skull that she was sure it would explode.

"Space-perception manipulation. Do you like it?" In one step, Ultear had somehow walked from Natsu to her side. She didn't understand as the sight before her was confusing. Ultear was only taking a step at a time, but somehow moving large distances with each one. Natsu and her keys felt like they were on the other side of the world.

She shut her eyes tight, trying to block the pain in her head. Ultear laughed and she heard her own keys rattling around on the floor. It didn't sound so far, but when she looked, Ultear was kicking them around so far away.

Natsu didn't seem affected by it, as Ultear was focusing her magic on Lucy. His eyes shifted between the girl in pain and the princess torturing her, desperately trying to find someway to help. Lucy wondered if he even could, as he had probably run out of magic just from creating that hammer of ice earlier to save her. Could she rely on him again?

Without her keys she couldn't use her magic. Even if Loke passed through his own gate, Ultear would just use her magic on him as well. Her world spun as Ultear continued to manipulate the distances in the cabin. Lucy became dizzier by the minute.

Still, if she continued to distract her while in pain and she ignored Natsu, then the prince might be able to do something. He seemed to come to this conclusion on his own as he silently got on his knees then stood up, Ultear laughing all the while.

Lucy had to believe in him. He got into a familiar stance, one Gray used for flurries of small objects. But he hesitated, still staring at Ultear walking around and Lucy clutching her own head in pain.

"You can do it!" She cried.

Before Ultear could turn to see him, a small hailstorm spawned from Natsu's palms, pelting Ultear all over. The princess wouldn't be defeated with such a simple move, but it gave them enough time for her to stop manipulating Lucy's vision and for Natsu to kick her keys over to her.

He was out of breath as the move took a lot out of him, but he didn't pass out and smiled widely. With his new found strength, he tackled the princess head on as she growled.

"All right Natsu!" She cheered. Ultear scowled at him and pushed him off.

"Enough!"

Before she could face her wrath on Natsu, Lucy summoned Taurus who apparated in front of her, and knocked her away with his axe. Ultear crashed hard into the cabin wall, knocking over several carts of equipment and the map the men were looking over earlier. She had actually broken through the wall and landed right outside.

Lucy changed into Taurus' Star Dress and cracked her whip, tying it around her ankle and planting her face into the ground.

"You're amazing!" The prince exclaimed, and Lucy blushed at the compliment.

Full of adrenaline, she could see Natsu Dragneel in the energetic prince and half expected him to say he was "all fired up." Instead he just smiled and took another stance to form something big while Ultear was down.

"Be careful! I know you're excited, but-!"

Lucy stared in shock as Natsu formed an ice cage over Ultear. He fell to the ground, but once again managed to not pass out. Lucy ran over to him worried, but found his smile to be contagious.

"I can't believe I just did that."

"You're not as weak as you say you are, your Highness." She smiled.

Smoke began to come up from the cage as Ultear clutched the bars. Her clothes were tattered and ripped from being thrown about like a ragdoll, and her hair was messy. With red stained on her face, she looked like a monster as she heated up the cage and her body exploded in flames. She cried out as the cage around her melted away.

"Did you really think it was over?" She taunted.

"Right - she's a master of two magics." Natsu's smile fell, and Lucy quickly summoned a second spirit.

Loke stood beside her with Taurus, the prince sitting on the ground in front of them.

Lucy felt a familiar headache as Ultear warped the space around them and stood in front of her the next instant, her full body no longer on fire. Still, she looked like a demon with black makeup melted around her eyes and she punched Lucy with her fist lit up, and she was sent flying backwards, her cheek burning. That would surely leave a scar.

The world was turning again, and she couldn't judge how far her spirits really were.

"Lucy!" Loke tried to run to her, but it seemed as if he was miles away and would never reach her.

She watched as Taurus tried to shield Natsu from a fireball, but ended up knocked over instead. Natsu was free and about to face Ultear's wrath completely, but Loke hit her with the full force of Regulus.

Her spirit and the princess fought each other, flame versus light, and Lucy sent Taurus back.

In reality she was sure she was close, but her perception was that she was far. Far enough away that a bow and arrow would be effective…

She changed into Sagittarius' Star Dress and made eye contact with Natsu. He nodded, and she reached for the arrows of starlight in her quiver and loaded the bow.

Loke wouldn't be affected by these, but she gestured to Natsu who then got out of the way.

"Star shot!"

Shooting stars rained in the sky, all heading right for Ultear. Like a supernova she glowed bright as the arrows all converged on one point and she tried to protect herself by burning her body again.

She screamed as the arrows wounded her, and when the spectacle was over she was left on her knees. Without a word, the Princess of Hearts fell to the ground. Exhausted, Lucy dropped the Star Dress and closed Loke's gate.

The prince just stared in awe. Lucy offered her hand and helped him stand up.

"We beat her, thanks to you. The strongest Hearts sibling, just like that." He said.

"I didn't do it alone. It was thanks to you and my spirits."

"We better get to the throne room. That's where Ur is, and most likely my father is too."

"Then let's go. I have a feeling this will be hardest battle yet."

* * *

 _ **I usually don't do an author's note at the end but I wanted to avoid spoilers. Can you guess what sword Erza is using? It's from an actual armor set Erza Scarlet has!**_


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Final Battle Part 1

Lucy Heart and Natsu's walk to the throne room was silent save for the sound of their footsteps in the snow. Nighttime was coming fast, and Lucy couldn't believe how quickly the day had come and gone. With the warmth of the sun gone, she could see her own breath as the cold became even colder.

This morning, all she could think about was the trial. She had felt somewhat guilty for getting mages from another world involved in their problems, but that guilt had only grown heavier as she was risking their lives for her selfish desire to save everyone. She wasn't sure how King Igneel would react to her impromptu plan. She was instructed to protect Natsu at all costs, including leaving his father behind. It wasn't her place to go and save the King, but how could she leave him to face the wrath of Ur alone?

It's not that she didn't trust his strength or her fellow members of the Court. But with the convenient arrival of her and Natsu's doppelgangers, she could do it all at the cost of their safety. They had been willing to help, but it hadn't been right.

What was waiting for them at the throne room? Lucy could only hope that King Igneel had escaped.

She glanced at Natsu Dragneel, wondering what could be going on in his head. He looked… nervous? Actually, she wasn't sure. He was hard to read, being so unlike the Natsu she knew.

After dwelling on her guilt, she opened her mouth to apologize before sensing Meredy in her mind trying to open a connection. She allowed her to set up a Link and pressed two fingers into her temple to diminish the strength of the oncoming headache.

"I spoke with Erza. She defeated Lyon and is on her way to the throne room."

She smiled at the news. Erza had won! Of course, that stubborn woman wouldn't lose to Lyon of all people. Meredy continued with her status report, describing the state of the rest of Magnolia. She whispered the news of Erza's victory to the fire mage beside her, and he nodded, content.

"Excuse me Meredy, I understand that everything is going well for everyone else, especially with the evacuation effort. But what of the Prince and Lucy?"

A beat of silence. Natsu perked up at the mention of Lucy.

"...That's what I was worried about."

"What is it?"

"According to Erza, the Prince and your doppelganger were taken captive by Princess Ultear. She couldn't save them in time as she was preoccupied with Lyon and her injury."

Lucy's hand dropped in shock and she let out a soft gasp. Natsu stopped walking when he saw she had fallen behind.

"What do you mean injury?" She struggled to stay calm. Of course without even knowing all the details she wanted to run and find Ultear herself. But with the throne room (and possibly Ur) so close, she couldn't turn back now.

"Lyon burned off one of Erza's wings. She said she was able to alleviate some of the pain by, well, tapping into the energy from the tree she's bound to, but it's gone. She, she can't…" Even Meredy was pained to say it. A spirit of nature now broken. She could only hope that the dryad's wing could be restored by magic or other means.

"I got it. Tell me more about this, er, situation with Ultear."

Looking at Natsu trying to hide his worry, she wished she could open her Link to him. He must desperately want to hear about his partner. Of course, it was Meredy's magic, not her own.

Oh. Wait.

"Meredy, wait. Could you open this Link with someone else?" It wasn't done very often, but this was a special case.

Natsu gestured to himself and she nodded. Once Meredy agreed, Natsu had no trouble joining the Link.

"That's amazing, how does your head not hurt?" She couldn't help but ask. Meredy's magic strongly connected people's senses with one another, a sensation that would leave her head throbbing for days if she didn't pressure her temple. Especially in this three way connection, she pressed on her temple harder as she had to deal with the thoughts of a third party.

"Back home we have a telepathy mage called Warren. I'm used to it."

"I suppose my magic is sort of like telepathy, but rather than simply projecting messages I can link my senses with the other per-"

"Yeah yeah, got it. What about Lucy? And Prince Me? What happened to them?"

"They were taken by Princess Ultear. We have no idea where they could be, or how they are."

As Meredy further explained what Erza had said and how dangerous Ultear was to Natsu, both she and Natsu had unconsciously picked up the pace again, walking briskly. The weight of her armor had escaped her mind as she could only think of the Prince in danger. She knew that if cornered, especially if something happened to the other Lucy, he would turn to self-sacrifice and use all his power to save her. What if he couldn't handle it?

The conversation had faded to the background as her worries took over, but a hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality.

"Don't worry, Lucy is strong. I believe in her." Natsu smiled.

"It's not so much her I'm worried about…"

"You shouldn't worry about him either. Like I said, you have to believe in him."

"But he's not you!" She snapped. "You're a mage without any limitations, but he was born with them! He can't do anything about it! You don't know what that's like for him, or for me neither!"

For years she watched the prince beat himself up over his weakness, always praising her strength and simultaneously diminishing his own. As his friend - as someone who loved him, that was hard. Magic deficiency was not a thing that could ever go away, it was something he had to learn how to deal with. He had never quite reached that level, but here was his lookalike pretending to know him, and acting like it's not a big deal! Natsu wasn't there all those times the prince was training, or the times he almost passed out from it, and definitely not when he cried as he admitted to her that he thought he could never be a great king so weak as he was.

Suddenly serious, he crossed his arms and faced her. "I have faith in Lucy's strength. That doesn't mean I don't worry, because of course I do! You still have to believe in your friends no matter what! Even if they're on the ground and soaked in blood, you believe in them! Even if their wing is broken, or their spirit is broken. You need to believe in them especially when they don't believe in themselves. You can be his strength."

Shocked into silence, she continued listening to Meredy continuing to explain the details of Ultear's space perception manipulation. Believing in someone _because_ they don't believe in themselves… she was embarrassed to say she never thought of it like that. Had she been contributing to Natsu's self deprecation all this time by her compliance? It was true that she never refuted him calling himself weak. Not on purpose, but she often supported it by constantly warning him about overexerting himself. She warned him because she cared, but it was really just a constant reminder of his limits.

How could she be so stupid?

She took a deep breath, refusing to think about "what ifs" any longer.

"Please don't do this." A masculine voice she didn't recognize spoke up ahead. She and Natsu ducked behind a carriage that had been knocked over and listened.

"Is this a trick? Do you-" The second voice dropped low, and she couldn't make out the words anymore. But that voice could only belong to one.

"End the Link, Meredy. I think we just found Erza." She whispered. She had a hand on the hilt of her sword in case Erza needed back up.

"It's not a trick. I'm on your side."

Natsu stood up. "Gray!" He called.

Lucy froze in shock. Gray? She stood up next and was met with the sight of Erza holding a blade to his throat as, lo and behold, Prince Gray held his hands up in surrender. He looked to where the voice had come from.

"Natsu?!"

Erza saw her next. "Lucy!"

"Erza?" She shook her head. A moment earlier, the prince had admitted to being on their side. She remembered his kindness and was always grateful for his help with her escape, but could he really be trusted at this point? That was so many years ago, when his innocence might have yet to be corrupted by Ur, but this is now. In war, it's not smart to trust your enemies right away.

They walked over to where Erza who, as suspected was in human form, was scowling at Gray. She didn't ease her grip.

"I see now. You must be the twin." Gray said to Natsu.

"I'm no twin. I'm the one and only me!" Natsu said.

"Not in Wonderland, you're not."

"Do you want to fight me, ice-prick?" The insult was automatic for him, but Lucy had no idea where it came from. He did know Prince Gray used fire magic, right?

"Excuse me?"

"Enough!" Erza snapped. "Lucy, he says he is our ally and he has been searching for you. Of course I was suspicious, especially when he said you'd accept his help."

She looked into Gray's eyes for the first time in years. The dark, storm colored eyes brought her back to a time when she lived only in fear of what Ur might do to her. A time when happiness was always out of reach. She shuddered for a moment and pulled herself out of the memory of the little servant girl, sniffling in the arms of the kitchen staff.

In his eyes she tried to see if he was genuine. Had his mother gotten to him, or had he been strong enough to withstand her?

"I already accepted your help once, long ago." She tested. In his smile she found the answer she was looking for.

"He was the one who helped me escape from the Kingdom of Hearts."

Erza finally loosened her grip and Gray took a deep breath when the sword was no longer threatening to slice his neck.

"That's true, but I didn't do it alone. I had help from someone else."

"Who?"

"Jellal. Does the name mean anything to you?"

It didn't. And at the same time, it did. Jellal, her mysterious long lost brother she didn't know about until last night. There were many gaps in her childhood memories, but since Lucy's spirit told her about him, she remembered those moments perfectly. She always thought she was alone, but Jellal was out there and she longed to meet her family. Still, it was like watching someone else, like Lucy from Earthland, in those memories playing and training together. That little girl was not her.

"My brother, Jellal."

Gray raised an eyebrow, but seemed pleased that she knew. "When did you find out? I thought, well, we both thought you didn't know?"

"I didn't until this morning. One of Lucy's Celestial Spirits told me. Er, the Spirits are part of her magic." She clarified. There wasn't really anyone with summoning magic like that on Wonderland.

He simply nodded and addressed the group, finally free to move around as Erza let him go.

"Listen, there's not much time. I was meant to be with Lyon and 'stay out of trouble' but I left as soon as Erza found him. I was also the one who planted the Flame Sword for you."

"That was you? How did you know I was coming?"

"I didn't know it would be you, although I'm glad it was. I assumed that one of the members of the Court would find him, so I left the enchanted weapon we use to train our fire magic there for them."

He took a shaky breath and composed himself. "I met Jellal at a very young age and learned of Ur's plans. Him and I have been planning this for a very long time, and tonight we might finally defeat her. If you know about Jellal, I'm assuming you also know about who you really are?"

"Somewhat. Somehow Ur usurped my mother and father and erased my memory of my family. She also locked up Jellal, which I'm unsure of why."

Gray nodded. "All of us were very young when it happened, so we can't figure out how she, she… Well, you know. But she did lock Jellal up because she needed him. The original Heart family had the power to summon an artifact known as the Scepter of Light. We don't know what it does, but only a Heart can summon it. Jellal can't do it on his own, so Ur ended up keeping him alive with the plan to capture you, combine your magic, and use the scepter's power for herself."

"I remember something like that. Something about an artifact. Loke talked about it." Natsu said. All eyes turned to him expectantly.

"What? I don't remember much. I was trying not to die in that carriage." He turned pale at the memory and Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Do you have a plan?" Erza asked.

"Yes. Ur has Jellal in a cage, with the key in her coat pocket. If she apprehended the King indoors, she would take off her coat. We can get to the key and defeat her altogether. However-"

"Oh boy." She sighed.

"We'll have to get through some knights of the Lamia Court first, who are acting as her bodyguards. They would've gone with Lyon, but he said he could handle himself." Gray smirked. "Arrogant jerk got what was coming to him. At any rate, there's three - Yuka, Toby, and Sherry."

Natsu punched his hand. "We'll be fine."

"I hope so. Get through them, then we can save Jellal. If you'll accept my help once again."

Lucy remembered Cana's words, telling her to combine celestial magic… now she understood. Cana meant to tell her to join Jellal and summon the Scepter of Light. With it, they could defeat the false queen. It wasn't an easy task, and Gray has already proven himself to be an ally.

"Of course I will."

"After speaking to Jellal and learning about what Ur did... I felt guilt, Lucy. Tonight, I'll set things right. For everyone's sake.

* * *

Lucy and Prince Natsu found themselves hopped up on adrenaline and ready to fight. Especially Natsu, who had set a new limit for himself in the fight with Ultear. They arrived at the throne room's door.

The doors slid open like they were made of ice, and Lucy's jaw dropped at the sight of the interior. This truly was the Diamond Palace, as the whole room seemed to sparkle. It wasn't really made of ice or diamonds as she might have imagined, but the silky fabrics and smooth flooring in various shades of blue made her think it was.

The actual throne was at the very end of the impossibly long room, but high above them on a platform accessible by a winding staircase. Something was draped on the throne, it looked like a coat but she wasn't sure. Lucy looked up at the skylight, but the high ceilings made her dizzy. The darkness of night was starting to set in, and she couldn't see too well.

She could see the Prince's eyes shifting nervously, as there seemed to be nobody in the room. Had everyone been wrong about where the King was all along?

Candles lined the sides of the dark carpet which set a path from the door to the stairs and up to the throne. One by one the candles lit on their own, which shocked Lucy into grabbing the prince by the sleeve and hiding behind a pillar.

"Relax, they have a spell that activates their light in the dark-" The prince closed his mouth when he heard the door creaking open on the left. One of the side entrances, Lucy figured. A rider wearing the Hearts emblem entered the room frantically, dashing up the stairs and into a room to the right of the empty throne. She hadn't seen it before, but the door was open. It was hard to make out what was being said from so far away, but she caught a lot in the silence.

"-and Ultear both defeated by Fairy Tail."

"-Incompetent- Gray?"

"-whereabouts unknown. Please-"

The following thud startled Lucy, and even the prince jumped. After a moment, Queen Ur herself stomped out of the room.

Of course, Lucy had never known the Ur on Earthland. But by her aura, she knew that they were nothing alike, because Wonderland's Ur was pure evil. Slightly taller than average, pale, and dark hair. Still, there was something about the way she carried herself, the way she spoke and walked that made her shiver. This ordinary looking woman had been responsible for so much death and destruction. She thought about the queen holding the knife to Jellal's throat in that memory. And the pure contempt in Lucy Heart and Erza's voice when they spoke about her. Looks were deceiving.

Ur cursed to herself and disappeared into some other room at the left of the throne. At that moment, the main door they had used to get in opened. She placed her hands on her keys as she turned to look, but made eye contact with Natsu instead. As in Natsu Dragneel, her partner. She grinned at the familiar face, and the quartet rushed to meet them, also ducking and trying to hide behind the pillars as much as possible.

"I told you they'd be alright." Natsu said.

"I may have underestimated the both of you." Lucy Heart said, donning her golden armor. Lucy never wore armor herself, but it did look pretty good on her. The knight hugged the prince tightly and sighed. The prince hugged her back. Even Natsu was caught up in their emotional reunion and pulled her into him with an arm around her shoulders. Lucy blushed, but focused her attention to the new member of their party standing next to Erza.

"This is weird. I mean, when I heard there were doppelgangers this is what I expected, but it's also just weird." Gray said.

"Tell me about it." Erza said.

"Now that we're grouped up, let's find King Igneel. Ur doesn't seem to be here."

The group of six made their way up the stairs and Lucy could now see into the mysterious room Ur had left earlier. It turned out to not be a room on its own, but a short hallway leading to a large viewing room.

In the hallway was a knocked over stand, with candles dripping wax on the ground. The messenger from earlier was out cold on the floor, a big bump on his head. Lucy winced, now knowing the cause of the sound from earlier.

"Ur was here just now, but left." She alerted the rest of the group to what they saw.

"We'll have to hurry then." Lucy Heart said.

The room was full of large windows, tall bookshelves, and a fireplace at the the accent stone wall. Behind the seating, a body was slumped over the table.

"Father!"

"Your Majesty!" The knights called in unison.

Prince Natsu ran over to his father and pushed Igneel so he was facing up.

"He's human." Natsu Dragneel said, amazed.

He was indeed a man. But if Lucy had to imagine Igneel as human, this is exactly what she expected him to look like. The unconscious man had a thick beard and dark red hair like Igneel's scales, and he looked old and wise, with a stern face and wrinkles. But his tattered cloak was stained with blood. When the prince noticed, tears welled up in his eyes.

"Father?"

There was no response.

Everyone froze, the only sound being the soft sobs of his son who tightly clutched his father's cloak. Lucy looked to her Natsu. He was frowning, and Lucy grabbed his hand. He squeezed it so tight that it hurt, but she thought that he needed it so she bit her lip and endured.

Then Igneel stirred. He slowly lifted his hand to his son's cheek, who stared at him in shock.

"Don't cry Natsu."

"What happened to you?"

The king pushed aside his cloak and showed off the ripped shirt underneath. There were deep gashes in his skin, with a mysterious bubbling green liquid dripping from the wound. Erza broke the tense silence and moved toward the king, lightly pushing Natsu aside. She ripped her own clothes and dipped it in the cup of water on the table. She tried to clean the the wound, careful not to let the poison touch her skin.

"Erza…" King Igneel groaned in pain.

"I will not stand here and do nothing! You can't expect me to let you die on us!"

"Do you like what we did to him? I thought his clothes needed a pop of color." A high pitched female voice said.

Three knights had entered the King's private room. They were… Lamia Scale? Or the Wonderland equivalent she supposed.

"Ugh, they're here." Gray said.

"Prince Gray? You traitorous bas-" Yuka said, narrowing his eyes and emphasizing his ridiculous eyebrows.

"I got it." He interrupted. "Shall we do this?"

Erza, Lucy, and the prince were occupied with the king on the verge of death a few feet away, so the remaining three took it upon themselves to deal with Ur's knights. Both Gray and Natsu ignited their hands, but found themselves blocked by a blue shield.

"Damn you Yuka." Gray grit his teeth as his fist met the shield of anti-magic.

"I never liked you."

Just like that, Lucy found herself in a standoff with Sherry again as Toby slashed at the prince and Natsu, who found themselves stuck. They couldn't touch either of them, as both the anti magic and poison claws prevented it. She wasn't too worried about it, because she knew Natsu had defeated the both of them before.

What she was worried about was having to face the giant rat again. She almost laughed at the memory, wondering how a giant rat would even fit in the room. On a serious note, she might find herself stuck as well, as she wouldn't be able to summon spirits lest Sherry control them.

"How's Angelica?" She asked.

"She's great! In fact, she can't wait to meet you." Sherry cackled.

Lucy covered her face with her arms as something shattered the windows, showering the room in glass.

* * *

 _ **Wow this ended up a lot longer than I thought haha. I originally wanted to end at 15 chapters, with 15 being the epilogue but it'll probably end at 16, with 16 being the epilogue instead. We'll see.**_

 _ **I did have a trend of changing everyone's magic for their Wonderland versions, but for Lamia Scale (or the Lamia Court rather) their magic is essentially the same.**_


	16. Chapter 15

_**Woooo sorry for the wait! I got sick and that put me out of commission for about a week, as well as a ton of stuff going on in my personal life… I didn't want to rush this chapter so I also took longer than usual… at any rate, here it is-somewhat. Despite what I said before, it seems that I will have to split this up. I was going to make this an ultra long chapter, but I also didn't want to delay an update yet again.**_

Chapter 15: The Final Battle Part 2

Unsurprisingly, Angelica turned out to be another giant animal - a cat, in fact. Lucy begrudgingly had to admit that Angelica was adorable with her big eyes, but rescinded this thought as soon as loose fur started floating everywhere. She coughed and swatted away fur, then faced the menacing cat and her owner.

"Meow!" The cat extended its claws and pounced at Lucy. She rolled out of the way, coughing at the hair that had found its way into her mouth. As she dodged the cat's attacks, she thumbed through her keys. Which spirit would be the best here…?

Sherry just laughed as Lucy jumped to avoid Angelica's swipes, like she was merely a toy for the kitty. Lucy spared a quick glance behind her where the king lay injured. There was still some water left in the cup Erza used to try and clean his wounds…

Lucy cringed at her next thought, but made a break for the water anyways, even running through where Natsu and Gray were facing off against Toby and Yuka.

"Running away? Angelica won't like that!"

Erza shot her a strange look, but Lucy ignored it as she shoved the key in the water and called out for her most vengeful spirit. "Open, Gate of the Water Bearer, Aquarius!"

Angelica hissed at the flash of light that lit up the room as the mermaid passed through the gate. "Aquarius, I'm so-" Lucy started. She held her hands up defensively when her eye twitched in anger, but luckily she didn't say anything. For the moment.

Instead, Aquarius summoned a stream of water from her vessel and soaked the cat. Angelica yowled and escaped out the broken window as she flew by twisting her tail rapidly. Sherry cried out for her beloved pet, asking her to come back. All she got were a couple of sad mewls in response, and so Lucy was faced with her anger.

"You hurt Angelica! My lovely, beautiful Angelica! You're horrible!" She whined. Her hands shot up and dozens of books flew from the bookshelves right at Lucy. She yelped and ducked the books, moving away from where she stood so the King and the others wouldn't get hurt.

"As if that'll do anything!" Aquarius yelled. Bursts of water from her vessel shot books out of Lucy's way. When Sherry realized her strategy of hurling books at Lucy wasn't working, she began to open the books with her magic and tear out pieces of paper, sending them flying at Lucy. Aquarius' water soaked most of the paper, rendering it useless. Many of them were starting to get past that though, and managed to cut Lucy's skin. She winced, but the pain wasn't unbearable. As a writer, she's suffered more than her fair share of papercuts.

Regardless, it was annoying. It was hard to see with both the flurry of paper threatening to slice every inch of her exposed skin and the water rushing around her. She needed to get to Sherry and put an end to this.

She summoned Cancer's Star Dress and pushed off the floor, grateful for the enhanced speed. Aquarius' water protected her as she dashed into Sherry. Her eyes widened as Lucy had seemingly come from nowhere, but scowled and jumped back to avoid the strike from Cancer's twin blades.

She made a swiping motion, and the books she had dropped to the floor earlier reformed into a giant book and paper golem. Lucy smirked as Aquarius continued to support her, shooting water into Sherry's side and messing up the golem's movements.

Lucy couldn't do too much about the hard book covers threatening to strike her head, but she used the blades to the best of her ability as she snipped and sliced through the paper that made up its body. Sherry worked hard to reform it as it fell apart, but Lucy would simply cut through the paper once again.

It put its hands together and attempted to bring its heavy fist down on Lucy, but she quickly dashed through it legs. Bulky and awkward, it slowly turned to swipe at her, but like a fly she zipped around it again, cutting its legs. The golem collapsed, and Lucy called out to her spirit.

"Now, Aquarius!" Before Sherry could reform it, a powerful wave washed both the mage and her golem away, pushing them out the broken window. Lucy ran to the edge, and watched as the water allowed them to fall somewhat safely, but as the water soaked into the ground she saw that the golem had fallen apart and Sherry was passed out next to a very sad looking Angelica.

She had no time to revel in her victory as the mermaid approached her with a very red face and familiar look in her eye. Lucy shrunk into herself and prepared for the worst.

"Stupid-agh! Can't you have some more respect for me? Summon me from an ocean next time, little girl! Or at least a full cup of water! It wasn't even half full! Barely a quarter! It was dirty drinking water!"

Aquarius must've had somewhere to be since she hadn't complained as long as usual, and instead left with a huff and her arms crossed. Lucy changed into her regular clothes and saw the state of the reading room.

She paled as she saw how overboard Aquarius had gone, as she totally drowned the room and all the items in it. The window was still broken of course, and the only thing that had remained intact was the corner in which the knights and prince were watching over the king. Even Natsu and Gray hadn't done as much damage as she. Luckily, in the time it had taken her to defeat Sherry, Toby and Yuka were taken care of.

"This guy is insane." Prince Gray said, and Natsu shrugged. Lucy could only laugh, but it died down when she realized that the others were still kneeling over the almost-dying king.

Erza stood up. "I sincerely thank you guys for protecting King Igneel and us as we froze. I would've liked to help, but the king is in no position to be left alone. That being said, I'm leaving. I will take him to a healer immediately. From our side, there should be at least a couple running around close by." She carefully reached down and held the king gingerly in her arms, as if he would break. He groaned, but didn't say anything more.

"I'm going with you." Prince Natsu said.

Knight Lucy frowned. "I really don't think that's a good idea. Erza is already taking a risk to travel with your father. You'll simply paint a bigger target on their backs."

He sighed and lowered his head. "...You're right. Please take care of him Erza." They watched as Erza left, walking as fast as she could without hurting Igneel more. Prince Natsu's fists were clenched.

"So what are we gonna do now?" Natsu Dragneel asked.

"We'll free Jellal, using Ur's key from her coat draped over the throne." Prince Gray said. "After that, we'll defeat Ur… though I'm not sure exactly how."

Lucy Heart cleared her throat, and addressed Lucy. "I spoke to a woman Dragneel called 'Cana.' She told me that 'we' must combine our celestial powers. Knowing what I know now… I think I know what she meant."

"Do you mean, all of us?"

The Golden Knight nodded. "Yes. If you, Jellal, and I combine our celestial powers, we'll be able to summon the Scepter of Light. Of course, we don't know what it does, but I'm sure that whatever it may be, it will help us defeat Ur once and for all. Jellal couldn't do it on his own, but with the three of us, it'll be enough."

"Make that the four of us. I can summon my spirit Gemini and have them take my-or our form. They'll help us cast the spell."

Gray smiled. "Great plan. Now let's go!"

The group left to the throne room. Lucy found the empty darkness of the room eerie, but she simply focused on their mission: finding Jellal. On the throne Ur had left her coat, just where Gray said it would be. He searched it and found the key. It was plain and unassuming, but it was literally and figuratively the key to all their problems.

"Gray, besides Toby, Sherry, and Yuka your mother didn't bring any of the other major players?" Knight Lucy asked.

He shook his head and handed her the key. "The Lamia Court follows my brother, and Ultear only has herself. As for the Six Prayers, she announced that they would remain in the Kingdom of Hearts, protecting it in her place. They are the most loyal to her, after all. Although Midni-"

"Where could Jellal be?" Lucy questioned out loud. The Queen clearly intended to use his power in tandem with Lucy Heart's, so she would keep him close but hidden. He had to be in this very room, right?

"There is a secret escape passageway right from the throne, though I'm assuming Ur would've found it. We'd have to go in one by one, but it's worth a shot. Sit on the throne."

"I'll go first!" Natsu said, and eagerly sat in the throne.

"Wait-"

Lucy Heart pressed a combination of decals on the throne that were actually buttons. In an instant the seat disappeared, revealing a hole that Natsu fell through. She winced as she heard him crash below, but the fall didn't seem so long. With the seat still open, everyone else rushed through.

Lucy screamed as she fell through (she couldn't help it), but found herself in someone's arms instead of the harsh ground.

"Thanks." She told Natsu. "Um," she blushed, "you can put me down now." Natsu let her down, and she took a shaky breath.

She kept close as they maneuvered through the narrow and freezing hallway, with nothing but Lucy Heart's magic to light their way. Natsu and Gray offered to light a flame, but Lucy didn't want to risk accidentally starting a fire. They reached a safe room at the end, which had freshly stocked food and supplies. Lucy Heart explained that there was a ladder leading to the outside, and that there were presumably Hearts soldiers covering the exit.

In the corner, almost hidden away was a large cage. Everyone held their breath as Lucy Heart crept closer, holding her palm up and shining the light on Jellal, who was shivering. He had unruly blue hair and scars all over his visible skin, and the same tattoo as Earthland's Jellal.

Lucy Heart gasped when she saw the scars, and Jellal opened his eyes. They were wide as they took in the sight of his long lost sister, whom he thought he might never see again. They teared up, but his speech was muffled as it was covered by tape. His wrists and ankles were also tied together, ensuring that he wouldn't be able to escape.

Gray crouched next to Lucy Heart and took the tape off his mouth. He took a shaky breath and was able to muster up a weak smile.

"Lucy… do you remember me?"

Lucy Heart nodded tearfully. "Yes. Jellal, you're my brother."

"I wish I could say I'm glad you found me, Lucy, but you've all been led into a trap."

"What?"

* * *

There was a blizzard. Not uncommon for the Kingdom of Diamonds, which was practically in eternal winter, but this was the strongest storm Lucy Heart had ever seen.

She stood in a hallway, indiscernible from any other in the palace. In fact, she had no idea where she was. She looked out the window in an attempt to orient herself, but found that the snow blocked her view. Lucy frowned.

She kept walking, but this hallway was impossibly long. She kept passing into the next section, but the hallway was just repeated. Same carpet, same window, same painting hung on the wall. One intimidating portrait of King Igneel. He was glowering down at the viewer, holding a ceremonial scepter and clothed in a fancy suit, robe, and crown only used for portraits. Eerily, she felt like his eyes were following her. She didn't like it. It was so unlike him, the kind king that sheltered her as a child and praised her efforts as a knight. Only in her nightmares he looked at her with such disdain.

If she couldn't pass into the next room, what _could_ she do?

She tried looking into the window again and saw that the blizzard was raging as strong as ever, but the view had cleared a bit. Below she could see the training grounds. And two people standing on it.

Her eyes widened. They were stuck out there in this storm?

She ran into the hallway, forgetting that it would just repeat. But this time, instead of the window there was a balcony. She opened the door and stepped outside.

She didn't know what she was wearing before, but she felt her clothes change into her familiar thick coat and boots. Her sword was sheathed at her side. It was snowing hard and the wind beat at her face, but she narrowed her eyes to see.

Gingerly she stepped toward the edge of the balcony and held on the railing tightly, looking over the edge.

Erza, with her wings fully intact was flying straight at Prince Natsu. As she whizzed past, he spun around but caught his footing before he fell. Amazingly, he made a gesture and summoned icicles, sending them flying at the dryad. She dodged as many as she could, but she got hit in the shoulder.

Lucy called out to them. "Stop! What are you doing?" She desperately hoped that they were only sparring, but both their faces were serious with concentration.

They ignored her. Erza scowled and unsheathed her sword.

"Do you believe in him?"

Lucy gasped and turned around to meet King Igneel as he appeared in his portrait. One glance inside and she saw that the painting was now nothing but black. He asked her again.

"Do you believe in my son, Lucy? You never had faith in him."

She looked back at the fight and saw that Natsu had miraculously blocked Erza's strike with a slab of ice. It fell to the ground. The magic was not without its effects, as Natsu looked tired. He held a hand to his chest and took deep breaths, but Erza didn't show any mercy. She struck again, but he rolled out of the way.

It was true that Lucy never showed much faith in him. She often brought him down herself. Looking at him down below, doubt creeped into her thoughts. How could she believe that he could win against Erza? He was already tiring from using his magic. Just because he managed to use it twice didn't mean anything.

She called out to him when she saw him kneeling in the snow. Erza smashed the hilt of her sword into his face. Red blood stained the pale snow, and Lucy watched horrified as the dryad stood over him, laughing.

"Lucy was right. You're weak. And you will never," she struck him again.

"Ever," another blow.

"Overcome that."

The prince fell with a thud, unconscious.

Lucy Heart desperately clutched at the railing, willing for Natsu to stand up as she watched her own sentiments turned to weapons against him. There were so many things she never got to tell him, like how much she loved him and that she wanted to be-

"Hm." The king was still standing beside her. He shook his head. "You're selfish Lucy. You were never good enough for him, you know. He was always going to be wed to a real princess, and not a coward."

"A coward?" She asked.

"That's right. You're a coward for running away from Ur. You left me behind!"

King Igneel's skin bubbled and melted away to reveal Jellal, as a young teenager covered in scars from Ur's hand. The floor of the balcony gave away and they both fell through. Lucy tumbled forward in the snow and kneeled, facing her brother.

"Jellal! I didn't remember you! I-I would've taken you if I could!"

"Would you really have suffered longer, waiting for a chance to take me with you?"

No. The answer was no and she knew it. Did that make her selfish? To suffer Ur's abuse any longer would have killed her.

She looked to where Natsu lay unconscious and saw that Erza had also morphed into the Queen of Hearts. Ur seemed undisturbed by the wounded prince and sight of blood, and she stepped over him on her way to Lucy.

"It's all your fault, coward, for running away. I wouldn't have hurt him if you had stayed. Your prince wouldn't know such doubt without your example. Can you say you love him, when he lays cold and unmoving because of you?"

More than any sword, dagger, or fire, Ur's words cut deep. She was right. Because of her lack of faith, Prince Natsu had grown unconfident. Because of her pushiness he had grown dependent on her for protection. And when it came down to it, he lost the battle because he thought he couldn't go on. Lucy never answered Igneel's question. Not to mention her own brother Jellal who was left behind and forced to suffer in her place. If she stayed and complied, Jellal wouldn't have been hurt.

But how could she have known? All her actions were made with good intentions, or for the sake of self preservation. She did love Natsu, no matter what Ur said. If she hurt him, she was sorry for it. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she held her head in her hands.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

 _Sorry won't bring him back._ She thought bitterly, but waved the thought away. She pointedly ignored Ur and Jellal's dark gazes and looked at the prince, a sob stuck in her throat.

The Earthland mages appeared suddenly, running toward her frantically.

"Don't listen to them!" Her counterpart yelled. "This is a nightmare!"

Just like that, the world around them shattered. The edges of the horizon began to crumble away and the prince twitched.

Jellal scowled. "What are they doing here?"

Ignoring him, she pushed past her brother and the queen to run to the prince. She flipped him over and brushed the snow off of him. If this was a nightmare then she might have another chance. She bit the inside of her cheek and held back tears. Smiling softly and with a strong grip on his hand she said, "I believe in you."

Natsu opened his eyes and smiled back warmly, with the radiance of a million glittering diamonds. "Lucy." his voice was hoarse.

She leaned down and pressed their lips together, putting all her apologies into the kiss. She ignored the metallic tang of blood and focused on the warmth, somehow still in him.

Once the other Lucy said it was a nightmare, everything clicked. Lucy Heart didn't realize she was in a dream. Igneel's question had been a test, and she failed.

The other Natsu and Lucy had reached them, standing awkwardly and pointedly looking away from the kiss. She thought they might even be blushing, but chose not to tease. She gave her hand to the prince and helped him stand up. She knew _he_ and the others were just products of her subconscious, but what about the Earthland mages?

Before asking them questions, Ur and Jellal had also run to them. Ur growled and grabbed at Lucy, unable to use her fire in this blizzard.

Lucy unsheathed her sword and slashed through Ur, dissipating the illusion. She turned to do the same to Jellal, but her arms were locked as she stared into his pained eyes and the scars all over his skin. He held his hands up in defense.

"Don't hurt me, sister. Not again."

"That's not Jellal." Lucy Heartfilia said sharply. The knight hesitated, still unable to strike.

Her voice thick with fear she asked, "Then who?"

"Midnight." Natsu Dragneel answered, glaring at the fake.

Jellal's form disappeared in smoke to reveal Midnight of the Six Prayers, one of Ur's personal guards. The Six Prayers were rarely seen, but they were said to be the strongest mages in the whole Hearts Kingdom, all of them users of different forbidden magics. Midnight was skilled in Black Nightmare, a combination of illusory and sleep magic that forced you to live in a nightmare manifestation of your deepest fears. Accordingly, he was dressed in steel armor and wore his signature black lipstick and dark eyeliner. His hair was long and shaggy, almost covering his eyes, with multiple long sections of braided white hair.

If Midnight was here, Ur must be close, wherever her physical body was. She assumed they had dragged their now unconscious party somewhere and tied them up. Lucy Heart herself might even be separated from the group, as Ur still needed her magic to summon the artifact.

His voice was like tar, oozing hatred and disgust. His pupils were red spirals, signalling that he was currently using his magic. "You won't escape my Black Nightmare!"

The world crumbled away faster, disappearing around Lucy Heart's feet. Earthland Lucy held on to her and Natsu's hands as the world finally melted away, leaving nothing behind. She shut her eyes tightly as they fell further down the rabbit hole of nightmares.

* * *

 _ **Haha, rabbit hole. Get it? Hopefully you all like the addition of this new enemy, since Ur is not as strong as she thinks she is and also needs some time to figure out how she's gonna get Lucy's power.**_


	17. Chapter 16

_**Happy New Year everyone!**_

 _ **To xHallowedFangirlx: Thank you so much!**_

 _ **To Lord Jaric: Yes, Ultear is aware she is the real princess. It's why she kept her as a servant, not just to torture Jellal but to eventually use her magic (because only a true Heart family member can summon the artifact.) The Six Prayers (obviously Oracion Seis lol) were made aware of this as well, but no one else. They are most loyal to the Queen, even above her children (just look at Gray.)**_

 _ **The group was captured, and Midnight is continuing the spell by putting them in another layer of nightmare. Dream stuff is always tricky to explain but they're progressing through the nightmares in layers.**_

Chapter 16: The Final Battle Part 3

When she opened her eyes again, Lucy Heartfilia and her companions were on a well-used dirt road. To one side she saw the forest, and to the other a dark city, a large castle looming in the distance.

"We're in Crocus." Lucy Heart said, her eyes wide. "This must be Erza's nightmare." She turned to the pair of Earthland mages and yanked her hand away from Lucy's grip.

"Thank you for rescuing me back there, but can you please explain what's going on? How did you know Midnight was behind this?"

"We've faced him before, in our world. Over there his magic is more like illusions than dreams, but it's the same effect." Natsu explained, still holding on to Lucy's hand. She didn't make any effort to detach herself either. "Lucy figured it out first. Her nightmare involved her spirits, but she realized that they would never act that way and so the 'spell' was broken. She interrupted my nightmare, which was about-" he coughed and had a dark look on his face. "Not important," he stepped closer to Lucy and squeezed their joined hands. She reciprocated. "And then we interrupted yours."

"I think Midnight is just trying to trap us all here in order to buy time. Maybe she didn't expect us to beat Lamia Scale- or the Lamia Court so quickly?" She theorized.

The knight held a hand to her chin, thinking. "You might be right. She must be desperate to use a member of the Six Prayers. She's not stupid or arrogant enough to think she can beat us, one on- er, six? Erza's not here but Jellal…"

"Wait. Erza is here, though. We're in her nightmare." Natsu pointed out. Lucy Heart paled at the realization, and what it could mean for King Igneel.

"Let's just focus on getting out of this." Lucy put her hand on her counterpart's shoulder. "We don't know about his condition yet at the present moment. He could be fine. Let's find Erza."

The knight nodded and led the trio into the forest, where Erza was most likely to be. They ran past nymphs relaxing in pools of water and dryads melting into their trees.

Finally they arrived at a red maple, surrounded by other, older trees. The dryads left their trunks as they turned to physical forms, all with multicolored hair and earth colored skin, different shades of greens, reds, yellows, and browns. One small dryad with petite wings and choppy red hair joined the older looking ones.

"Sisters, let us celebrate the summer."

The dryads joined hands and the trio watched in awe as they danced methodically to the rhythm of their wings beating in the wind and the melody of cloud spirits that had drifted down from the sky. It was a beautiful spectacle of nature, one like Lucy and Natsu had never seen on Earthland. This was a different kind of magic.

The young Erza, who they assumed to be the Erza they're looking for, shyly joined hands with her sisters and danced, albeit clumsily, with them. Now the question was, who was Midnight disguised as? One of the dryads?

The dancers kept spinning, faster and faster, taking Erza along with them. The trio became petrified as the dance kept moving faster with each second that passed, and Erza went from a shy smile to horrified tears.

"Please, stop!" She tried to say, but they dragged her along with them until she was tearing up from the force, unable to truly cry with the strength of the motion. The trio jumped into the circle, surprising Erza and her sisters and so they stopped. Erza was thrown to the side, sliding in the dirt.

Lucy offered her hand. "Are you alright?"

"I feel sick…" the young Erza said softly. She frowned and held her stomach for a second, and her heart clenched at the sight of a child Erza in pain. Of course, this version was a dryad with small wings, but it was Erza nonetheless. Erza, afraid. Midnight had yet to reveal himself even with their interruption, and she pitched a plan to the others.

"Let's wake her up loudly. He'll get angry again once he sees what's going on." Natsu and Lucy Heart nodded. She shot a meaningful look at Natsu, and he rolled his eyes but complied.

"Yo Erza! Wake up!"

The young dryad's eyes widened, staring at the stranger who suddenly yelled. "You're in a dream, Erza!"

Erza, with the same thunderstruck expression quickly swiveled from her spot beside Lucy, clutching onto her hand tightly. As she became lucid, the dream started to fall apart, with most of her sister's fading away. Erza took a look down at her own hands and finally transformed into her adult human form. There were bruises and cuts on her exposed skin, and her face twisted in anger. She bared her teeth and stalked into the circle where a few dryads remained.

"Midnight!" She called out.

The dryads faded away until one remained. Midnight, with the appearance of a dryad scowled at the group. He waved his arm.

"Black Nightmare!"

Lucy quickly grabbed everyone together and shut her eyes tight, preparing for the dizzy sensation that came with travelling through nightmares.

* * *

Erza didn't realize that a member of the Six Prayers had been here the whole time. Their magic aura was dangerously powerful, and no one had detected anything. Disguise charm? Regardless, this introduced a whole load of other questions, like were any of the others here?

She was relieved about one thing. She was seriously injured and couldn't remember much, but she knew that she found a medic on the Diamond's side at a makeshift camp with a few other injured soldiers. The medic had watched Erza carry the King in with wide eyes, and the whole camp shot up to see Igneel. The medic shooed them away and quickly worked on him, and managed to get a hold of Meredy to send any other free medics, mages, or even able soldiers their way.

The camp had been attacked just as Erza sat down to take a breather. It was a swarm of non-magic Hearts soldiers, and she had been quick to unsheath her sword and cut through them. It felt like they just kept coming however, and with an injured wing Erza just wasn't fast enough. The other soldiers joined in, but Erza ordered them to evacuate King Igneel instead. They escaped but overwhelmed her as she fought alone, and so here she was.

She relayed this story to the rest of the group as they explored the nightmare. According to the others, they were progressing through layers of Black Nightmare and were working as fast as possible to escape. The faster they got out of here, the bigger their advantage over Ur. She curiously swept her gaze over the landscape, noting that they must have been in the Kingdom of Hearts, which was hot like summer unlike the eternal winter back home.

"We must be in Gray's dream." Lucy Heart pointed out, voicing her thoughts.

"None of us really know him well enough to figure out what his nightmare is, or where he could be…" The other Lucy added, pointing her finger to her chin.

"Pfft." Natsu scoffed. "Gray's Gray, no matter where or how weird." He crossed his arms and seriously said, "He's sympathetic, seeing how he helped Lucy and Jellal. But because of that he's scared of his family, especially Ur who's clearly a-"

"Then," Earthland Lucy cut in. "Let's find Ur or the others. They must be hurting him."

"Let's start with the central most populated area. If they're not there then we'll head to the castle." Erza suggested as she observed the people in town hesitantly on their way to Crocus' central area. The group agreed and they moved with the flow of traffic, keeping an eye out for any signs. Erza kept her ear out as she listened to the citizen's whispers.

"She's a liar, I bet he's innocent."

"Shh! Do you want to be hanged next?"

"I'm sorry." The voice said meekly.

On the other side:

"I'm scared, Mommy. Why do we have to watch these? I don't like it."

"I'm sorry," the mother said in a weary voice. "I don't like it either, but keep your eyes as open as possible. If you look away for a second…"

The threat loomed over them, hanging in the air.

Erza clenched her fists as she listened to the fear in the people's voices. She knew, she already knew how Ur was, so this shouldn't surprise her. This was a dream, but she didn't doubt that Gray had heard these hushed words in passing for real.

From their words she figured that this must be a public execution, notorious events in the Kingdom of Hearts whenever some unlucky soul was proclaimed guilty by Ur for whatever reason. Ur, a tyrant who was particular with her words, never laid a hand on the guilty party, forcing some soldier to do it instead. Supposedly, Ur had never hurt anybody. If only through technicalities it was true, but everyone knew what happened behind closed doors and soldier's sealed lips. At any rate, Gray was certain to be here.

She didn't know him, only his public image as the softest (meaning weakest) of the Hearts siblings. She never trusted him, but appreciated at the very least his apparent uncomfortability from reports of spies. She had weak suspicions from the beginning, but wished that she had explored the possibility of working with him sooner. At least he took his own steps to help Lucy escape in the past and help Jellal survive, at the risk of his own life. He truly was deeply sympathetic, as Natsu Dragneel said. He must've been closer to their Earthland Gray than she knew, as someone who helped those who needed it.

The group came to a standstill where the crowd had bunched up. The whispers ceased here as the Queen, a couple of soldiers, and Gray stood in front of _Jellal._ Erza glanced at Lucy Heart, who had a hand on her heart.

Jellal was kneeling, glaring down hard at his ripped clothing and bruised knees, shaggy blue hair hiding his face. Still, she suspected that it might be formed in a scowl.

"This man," Ur pointed dramatically at the skeleton of an older teen, barely a man. "Has stolen from me! He will pay for his crimes with his life! Let this be an example to you all," her teeth showed themself as her mouth twisted into a sickening smile, like this was pleasurable to her. "Of what will happen if you cross the crown."

She took a long box from the hands of the one of the soldiers, who looked purple from holding his breath, and put it in Gray's hands. The soldier breathed, but Gray froze.

Her next words were spoken privately, but Natsu Dragneel stiffened. "She said," he whispered. "'The honor is yours.'" When Gray didn't move, Ur took it upon herself to open the box and unsheathed an executioner's sword. She forced him to grip the sword with both hands and set the box aside. Her eyes told him, "Do it, or else."

Jellal looked up at them and glared at the Queen. She opened her mouth to speak, but he spat on her shoes and she reddened in anger. The crowd gasped, and Erza simply admired the tenacity of a man who was defiant in the face of death. Lucy's counterpart had her hand on her shoulder, and Erza moved to provide the same kind of support to the Golden Knight.

They had to stop this somehow. Lucy was frozen in shock, Lucy Heartfilia was supporting her, and Natsu Dragneel turned to Erza.

"He's Ur this time, right?" She nodded. Midnight seemed to love taking a prominent role in the torture of his victims. "Then I'll yell something to distract them and the crowd. You get up there and take Gray out of there."

"Count five seconds and go."

She shrunk into herself and slipped through the gaps in the crowd until she was close to the platform. She locked eyes with Natsu Dragneel who yelled, "Hah! He improved them Ur!"

That was her cue. She leaped onto the platform as Ur scanned the crowd for the voice, voice tense with anger as she barked at the soldiers to "find whoever said that!" She reached for the stunned Gray, but on a whim grabbed Jellal by the back of his shirt. She ignored the yelp of pain, realizing that he was injured but also noting the gravity of the situation. She dragged them both behind Ur, when Ur noticed the red haired dryad and scowled. There was a commotion in the crowd as the others ran through it to meet them. The few soldiers were split between the two situations, but focused their attention on calming the crowd.

Ur, actually Midnight went after them alone instead. The group ran until they were out of his sight, hiding out in an empty shop.

Lucy Heart, who came to her senses quickly when Erza and Natsu enacted their plan, gripped Gray's shoulders and threw the executioner sword to the side. "Gray! You're in a dream, okay? Jellal is right here and okay!"

Jellal coughed and spoke, surprising them all. "We, we're in a dream?"

A double nightmare? This was news to Erza. She believed that Black Nightmare could only deeply affect one person, but Midnight must've been stronger than they realized. Stronger, and maybe also desperate. Either way he would find them soon, and they were running out of time. Gray had to snap out of it so they could escape.

"You're yourself too? I mean, you're not part of the illusion?" Lucy Heartfilia questioned.

The hazy look in his eyes cleared as he gained awareness of the situation. "Yes, I didn't expect to get roped into Midnight's trap like this. I knew they were planning on using me as bait, but that's all."

"What would've happened if… if Gray hurt you? You're really yourself right? If he had killed you in the Nightmare would you-" Lucy asked.

The tension in the room shattered as Jellal and Lucy broke down in tears. He stood taller than her and enveloped her in a hug. "My poor sister. You've been alone all this time."

She was shaking, and her voice was tight as she tried to hold back her sobs. "I thought I found some family again, and to lose you so soon after I just remembered you…"

The ground shook, a sign of Gray's realization as the dream struggled to hold the illusion together. Illusions were suggestions, trickery. Once the person knew the truth, they ceased to exist.

Midnight entered the shop as himself.

"You have one last shot. Better make it count." Natsu taunted.

Erza held the group together as the world fell apart beneath their feet.

* * *

Prince Natsu, or, he corrected himself, King Natsu stood before the mirror. He inspected himself again, smoothing down stray hairs. There wasn't much he could do about his sweaty palms, considering that no matter how many times he wiped them it would always end up the same.

If only his father could see him now.

He turned away from the mirror when he thought about how similar he looked to his father, with the same dark eyes and grin. Yet, he was also inadequate. His frame was too small in Igneel's shadow. He was weak. The kingdom would prey on that insecurity and leave nothing but bones behind as he delivered his speech.

He had prepared his whole life for this, but it was still not enough. Even an eternity of etiquette classes couldn't prepare him enough for the inevitable disappointment of the kingdom as he gave his first speech as their new king.

He cleared his throat and tried, "People of-". His voice cracked.

The door creaked open and his personal bodyguard, the Golden Knight Lucy of the Fairy Tail court stood there, ominously lit from behind. Of course she was alive and well, but nothing more than a title to him now. Once upon a time he might've smiled at the sight, and it would've been a shared smile. If he was brave enough, he'd reach for her, or maybe she'd reach for him with a hand on his cheek that would melt away all his nerves.

Now she faced him with a blank expression and addressed him formally, stiffly. "Your Highness, are you ready?"

"Another minute please."

She sighed. "I apologize if this is out of line, but the people are waiting for you. King Natsu," she winced at the words. "The show must go on."

She cracked a small smile, and he apprehensively reciprocated. Something in that smile stirred up some vague memories, memories he couldn't properly grasp. Lucy stiffened and swiftly turned from him, avoiding his face. The action saddened him, and he spoke without realizing.

"Why are you acting like this?" He was shocked at the words spilling out of his mouth, but his heart was in pain as he watched her distaste for him. He was conflicted: he knew she thought he was weak, he knew that after he became king she grew colder as he failed to, in her eyes, live up to his father. But this was wrong, somehow. It had to be wrong. This feeling was unexplainable, but he knew that this was all wrong.

He frowned. She frowned. "Natsu- your Highness, please don't. Let's go." She pleaded.

He took a deep breath. She wasn't wrong about Natsu's weakness, about his inability to be a strong leader like Igneel was. He would never be respected like his father, and he was afraid to face his kingdom. This day was meant to come eventually, but it still hit him hard every time he thought about his father being gone.

"Fine." He said curtly. She was right about him being too reckless, too emotional. Here he was starting an argument when he had to address his people. If the people didn't want him, were they really his?

He felt too small in the robe, and felt that the ceremonial scepter and crown were heavy on his head and hands, but he stood as tall as he could anyways on the balcony overlooking the space where all of Magnolia was gathered. The bite of the cold wind was refreshing and comforting. It was a friend at a time when he was completely alone. Lucy stood at his side, hands behind her back.

"People of Magnolia, of the Kingdom of Diamonds," he began, grateful to have lost the stuttering. "I address you all today as your new King-"

"You are not my king!"

"Yeah! Not our king!"

"Not our king! Not our king! Not our king!" The crowd began to chant.

Natsu froze. He honestly expected this reaction, but not so soon into his speech. Should he continue or stop? He didn't know how each choice would end.

"I agree." Lucy said. She took a step closer to him, forcing him backwards. His back was to the railing, and he held his arms in front of him. "You are not our king. Not my king." The look in her eyes was vicious, something he had never seen directed at him in his life. He wanted to weep at the sight, but stood there instead.

His voice was shaky. "Lucy, what are you doing?"

"You could never be a king fit for the Kingdom of Diamonds." She ignored him, suspiciously placing her hand upon her scabbard. "You are weak, small, a coward. Nothing like Igneel." Her sword was suddenly pointed at his throat as the crowd cheered below him, and his breath hitched in his throat. This was wrong, Lucy wouldn't go so far as to kill him. Would she?

"Magic deficiency," she scoffed. "Please. You should have never been born. I wish I didn't waste my time on you."

More than any blade, the words cut deep. In his shock he stumbled backwards and over the railing until he was falling from the balcony. It was a long fall. He would plummet to his death and land in the snow unmoving.

In his last moments he tried to remember something good, but all his memories were faint for some reason. Perhaps he was in too much shock from being about to die. Lucy's memories were tainted, and memories of his father were intimidating. The kingdom hated him, and any friends were blurred faces in his mind. He would meet a lonely and bitter end.

"Goodbye." He said to no one in particular.

The impact was softer than he thought it would be.

His eyes were shut tight and he was quivering in someone's arms. Wait, what? He fell over in surprise and looked up to see his own face staring right back at him. Bodies were piled all over each other in the snow, with his doppelganger the only one left standing.

"Got him! I win!" The twin joked and smiled. Natsu could only stare.

The bodies picked themselves up and brushed themself off. One of them was Lucy Heart, dressed in a similar winter coat as the one above. But this one had worry in her eyes, her face was red from the cold and she reached out to him with open arms.

"Natsu." She sighed softly in his ears. At the sound, something clicked in his mind. The Lucy embracing him was real. _This_ was right. He hugged her back, reveling in the feeling of something so pure and full of love.

"You're in a dream. Please wake up." She pleaded.

A dream?

Ah. Midnight. Ur. It all came back to him.

As he came to his realization the world around them began to crack at the edges, and he wiped a stray tear from his eye. He was just happy to know that everything was alright after all.

"We've been progressing through all the dreams as we've all been caught." Erza explained. "There's only Gray left, but I don't know what to expect on the other side. Be on your guard everyone."

"Be on your guard." Lucy's voice mocked. Everyone turned to Lucy Heart, but she was just as confused as the rest of them.

"Ahem." Midnight got rid of his disguise and cast his spell again. "Black Nightmare!"

Nothing happened.

He grunted and yelled it again, frustrated by the resistance. "No, spawn another Nightmare." He muttered under his breath.

"Black Nightmare!"

Natsu's nightmare fell apart and the group found themselves in the increasingly familiar darkness, but instead of landing in Gray's nightmare they woke up to the real world.

* * *

Lucy Heartfilia blinked slowly as her eyes adjusted to the dim light again. They were in the hideout this whole time, the place where they found Jellal. He was no longer there anymore, an empty space left behind where his prison was. The mages were all tied together. Erza was tossed next to them as well, as she had been captured later. The others began to rise, but Lucy focused on the body unconscious a few feet away.

Midnight twitched and she held her breath, but he remained unconscious. His face twisted in pain and curled into himself.

"He must not have any magic left." Gray mused. "This is how people who blindly serve my mother end up, Midnight. Even if you die, she'll just replace you without batting an eyelash." He said to him.

"He won't die, right?"

"No. But he'll be sick. It seems like he seriously used every last bit of strength keeping us trapped in there."

"Let's get out of here. We can still find Jellal and summon the artifact for ourselves. Natsu?" Lucy prompted.

"Aye!" He carefully burned the ropes around his wrists away, then worked on everyone else. "I don't know why they keep using this flammable rope instead of something magical."

"Plot purposes?" Gray suggested. Everyone shrugged.

"Hush. Let's move quietly. Follow my lead." Erza directed.

As they maneuvered back through the narrow hallway, Lucy kept a firm grip on her keys. They warmed in her palm, and she felt at ease with her spirits power in her hands. Lucy Heart pressed a sequence of seemingly random stones in the ground, but a ladder extended from where they entered. If she craned her neck, she could see that a hatch had opened from the throne seat.

One by one they crawled up the flimsy ladder. Lucy had ended up being the first one out. She peered out from below the hatch but found no one around, then signaled this to the others. She grunted as she pulled Natsu up, and they helped the rest out.

They fell in line behind Erza as they searched the sitting room. They found the mess they had left from their fight earlier, but no one was there.

Lucy Heart suggested that they split up and search, but the group decided it was better that they'd stay together. The question was, where could Jellal be? He was a vital part of their plan.

"He's either in this very throne room," Lucy Heart pondered with a hand on her chin, "Or he's on the other side. It would be easier to get him out that way after all…"

"By the other side… you mean from the hideout?" Erza asked.

"Yes, although I'm sure it's surrounded."

With a hand on her scabbard, Erza sighed. "I guess it can't be helped."

The group swiftly left the room. According to Erza's instruction, they only had to circle around the tower and head into the forest. Shortly after there would be a clearing where the exit to the hideout led.

Once they got outside, Lucy shivered. She stood between the two fire mages on their team, but it wasn't enough. There was a blizzard raging outside, as if the tension from war had physically manifested into a storm. It was hard to see more than a couple feet in front, and every step was like running uphill with weights tied to your ankles.

Hopefully Aries didn't see this as misuse of her magic, but Lucy quickly changed into her Star Dress. It still exposed some skin, but the wool was warm. Prince Gray shot her a curious look, and she remembered how rare her magic was. Even on Earthland, it wasn't every day you met someone who could summon the powers of celestial spirits from another realm.

Up ahead the group could hear, rather than see, a camp setup of soldiers. Like Lucy Heart said, they surrounded the exit. Jellal was bound to be there.

"She's got us running like headless chickens looking for the old man-"

"-Kill him?"

"No."

"And this one?"

They, including Natsu, couldn't make out the answer but they were sure it was him.

Erza pointed at Lucy and her partner. "You two, cause a distraction. Lady Lucy here and I will go in without swords. Let's not use our magic unless it's necessary. The princes should wait here unless we need the help."

"Operation Rescue Jellal is a go!" Natsu whispered loudly. Lucy laughed, because what else do you do in a situation like this?

* * *

 _ **I think the next chapter will actually be pretty short, since it was supposed to go with this one. I'm inconsistent enough with updates though, and I didn't to keep people waiting longer, so I just cut it off here. I basically just threw my original plans out the window with ending at 15 chapters, but this is more fun. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter! Please excuse any mistakes.**_


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